100th anniversary of the General Strike

In May 1926, a nationwide general strike brought the country to a halt. One hundred years later, its legacy continues to shape the labour movement and the fight for workers’ rights.

After World War I, Britain’s coal industry faced falling prices, reduced exports, and outdated infrastructure. Mine owners responded by cutting wages and extending working hours.

In early 1926 the government, to avoid unrest, subsidised miners’ wages but when the subsidy ended mine owners announced drastic wage cuts and longer hours.

The Miners’ Federation stood firm. As A.J. Cook, secretary of the Minter’s Federation of Great Britain remarked: “Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day.”

The federation faced a veritable rogues gallery in the form of the Conservative government of the day, which didn’t hesitate to use all means at its disposal, including the deployment of troops and the government’s propaganda paper British Gazette, to fiercely oppose the strike.

Fortunately, there was no shortage of talent on the trade unions’ side, including the aforementioned A.J. Cook, Walter Citrine (General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress), and Ernest Bevin (Transport and General Workers’ Union leader who was influential in organising solidarity among transport workers).

Below is a timeline of the events:

• March 1926 – Talks between mine owners, unions, and government collapsed.
• 1 May 1926 – Miners locked out after refusing wage cuts.
• 3 May 1926 – General Strike begins: 1.7 million workers walk out in solidarity—transport, rail, printing, iron, steel, and docks ground to a halt.
• 4–6 May – The strike spreads; government issued propaganda via British Gazette and recruits volunteers to keep essential services running.
• 7–10 May – Tensions rose, clashes in London, Glasgow, Newcastle. Troops deployed to maintain order.
• 12 May – The strike ended after nine days without concessions. Miners remained locked out until November.

Industrial heartlands like South Wales, Durham, Yorkshire, and Scotland were epicentres of solidarity and saw mass demonstrations, while rural communities organised food relief for striking families.

The strike failed in its immediate aims but left a lasting legacy, inspiring future generations of activists.

The 1926 General Strike was more than an industrial dispute; it was a defining moment in British social history. Its centenary reminds us that the struggle for fair wages, decent working conditions, and the right to collective action is as relevant now as it was a hundred years ago.