General Strike, British

General Strike, British (3–12 May 1926) Following World War I, Britain's coalmining industry faced severe problems from overseas competition, and ageing equipment due to a chronic unwillingness to invest in new technology. The industry depended for its survival on cheap labour, which inevitably led to much discontent from miners over working conditions and wages. Matters came to a head in July 1925, when the government stopped its subsidies for the industry, originally introduced during World War I, which threatened to lead to a reduction in wages. Impending strike action was averted when the government continued the subsidy temporarily until the report of Samuel's Royal Commission on the Coal Industry. The report, which appeared on 11 March 1926, recommended a reorganization of the industry, including the amalgamation of smaller pits, and better working conditions. However, it also proposed an immediate reduction in wages and an increase in the length of the working day. Negotiations took place throughout March and April, but no solution was found, and under the slogan, ‘Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day’, the miners went on strike on 1 May. On the same day, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) agreed to hold a general strike in support of the miners on 3 May. In last-minute negotiations, conducted without the miners’ authorization, the TUC pledged to accept pay cuts if the government would enforce the rest of the Samuel Report. but this could not be agreed.

The General Strike duly began on 3 May. The country was brought to a standstill. Baldwin's government declared a state of emergency and placed troops in areas where trouble might erupt. The TUC had agreed to maintain vital food supplies, but other services were kept running by middle-and upper-class volunteers. In the face of resolute government action, the TUC called off the strike on 12 May. The miners, however, continued striking until November, when the suffering of their families forced them to accept reduced wages. The government's response, in 1927, was to pass the Trade Disputes Act. This made general strikes illegal, and the payment of the political levy to the Labour Party became a matter of individual ‘opting-in’ of union members. The Act was repealed in 1946, under Attlee's Labour government.