The General Strike 1926 – a look back 100 years ago
On 3rd May 1926, Britain’s miners went on strike, and workers from other industries joined them in solidarity. This was the first general strike in Britain, with 1.5 million strikers by 4th May.
The General Strike, the only one in Britain, lasted nine days and represented the dissatisfaction of millions, leading to change across the country.
The Trade Union Congress called the strike in response to poor working conditions and reduced pay. It became one of the largest industrial disputes in British history, with millions participating in the nine-day strike, showcasing worker solidarity.
Several factors contributed to the strike. The First World War depleted coal reserves due to high demand. Falling exports and mass unemployment created difficulties in the mining industry after the war. The failure of mine owners to modernise the industry, unlike Poland and Germany, further impacted the industry.
The perils of a privately owned industry.
As the mining industry was privately owned, mine owners could make decisions like cutting pay and increasing hours without repercussions. Miners suffered from difficult work, injuries, and death and the industry failed to support them.
The British coal industry suffered further due to the 1924 Dawes Plan, which stabilised the German economy and eased wartime reparations. Germany offered free coal to France and Italy as part of its reparation plans, leading to falling coal prices in Britain and negatively impacting the domestic market.
Churchill’s decision to reintroduce the gold standard in 1925 further worsened the situation. Despite warnings from John Maynard Keynes, Churchill’s policy was implemented, which many later called an ‘historic mistake’.
The Gold Standard Act of 1925 made the British pound too strong against other currencies, harming the export market. To maintain the currency’s strength, interest rates were raised, which negatively affected business owners.
Mine owners, facing economic challenges and declining profits, cut wages and increased working hours to maintain their business outlooks.
Declining miner’s pay.
Over seven years, miners’ pay was reduced from £6 to £3.90, causing severe poverty for generations. When further wage reductions were announced, the Miners Federation protested fiercely, demanding ‘not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day’.
The phrase ‘The miners’ plight’ resonated throughout the mining community. The Trade Union Congress supported the miners, while Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, a Conservative, provided a subsidy to maintain wages.
A Royal Commission, led by Sir Herbert Samuel, investigated the mining crisis and proposed solutions. The commission examined the mining industry’s impact on families, coal industry dependents, and other industries.
The commission’s report, published in March 1926, recommended reorganising the mining industry, nationalising royalties, and reducing miner’s wages by 13.5% while withdrawing the government subsidy.
The Prime Minister accepted the commission’s recommendations, allowing mine owners to offer new employment terms. However, the Miners’ Federation refused the new terms.
Negotiations failed
By May 1st, all negotiations failed, leading to the TUC’s announcement of a general strike on May 3rd at midnight to defend the miners’ wages and working hours.
Tensions escalated over two days, worsened by tabloid reporting, including a Daily Mail editorial condemning the general strike and labelling the dispute as revolutionary and subversive.
King George V attempted to intervene, but the government sensed the escalation and began implementing measures to deal with the strike. The Emergency Powers Act was introduced to maintain supplies, and the armed forces, bolstered by volunteers, were used to keep basic services running.
The TUC restricted participation to railwaymen, transport workers, printers, dock workers, and those in the iron and steel industry.
police escorted buses of strikebreakers
As the strike began, police escorted buses of blackleg strikebreakers, and troops guarded bus stations to prevent protests. By 4th May, 1.5 million strikers overwhelmed the transport system, shocking even the TUC.
Prime Minister Baldwin became aware of the discontent, especially with articles supporting the strikers. Churchill, Chancellor of the Exchequer, believed the TUC had less right to publish their arguments than the government. Baldwin called the strike “the road to anarchy and ruin”, sparking a war of words.
The government used newspapers to rally support for parliament and reassure the public that the strike wasn’t causing a crisis. By 7th May, the TUC met with the commissioner of the previous mining industry report, Samuel, to end the dispute, but negotiations failed.
Some men returned to work, risking backlash, prompting the government to protect them. The strike continued for five, six, and seven days. The Flying Scotsman was derailed near Newcastle, but many continued to picket. The government controlled the situation while strikers remained defiant.
The general strike wasn’t protected by the Trade Dispute Act of 1906, except for the coal.
industry, making the unions liable for breaching contracts. By 12th May, the TUC General Council met at Downing Street to call off the strike, agreeing that no striker would be victimised despite the government’s lack of control over employers.
The momentum was lost, unions faced legal action, and workers returned to work. Some miners resisted until November but to no avail.
Many miners faced unemployment for years, while others accepted lower wages and longer working hours. Despite support, the strike was unsuccessful.
In 1927, Stanley Baldwin introduced the Trade Disputes Act, which banned sympathy strikes and mass picketing. This act ended the strike and the careers of many workers involved in one of Britain’s biggest industrial events.
Over the last three months we have looked back at the societal changes of 1926.
In January we looked at how we treated orphans with the introduction of The Adoption Act and how we were going to entertain ourselves with the invention of a new thing called television. In February we looked at how we might spend some of our leisure time with the coming of National Parks via the CPRE and this month we are looking at working conditions and The General Strike – what it did or didn’t do. Amazing what effect 1926 has on our present day.
Kibworth & Smeeton WI
