The General Strike of 1926 was the largest industrial dispute in British history. It lasted for nine days, spanning from May 4th to May 12th, 1926. While the protest traveled all over the United Kingdom, many of the main gatherings accumulated around Newcastle, a city in northeastern England. The Trades Union Congress, a federation of trade unions mainly in England and Wales that represents a majority of the trade unions, called the strike together to advocate for coal miners' rights in the workplace. The strike was specifically targeted at worsening conditions and severe wage reductions for the workers. On the first day of the strike, May 4th, about one and a half million men joined in and did not go to work. D.H. Robertson, an English economist, reported in his article “A Narrative of the General Strike of 1926” that “the total direct cost of the strike to the Government was estimated at £433,000. The loss to the country as a whole was roughly estimated at £30,000,000. The number of involuntary unemployed at the register of the Employment Exchanges increased from 1,105,916 on May 3 to 1,576,000 on May 10” (387). The strike was a success that ended with better conditions for the working people. While the strike is now viewed as a monumental moment in history, at the time many upper-upper class people and government organizations were not happy with all of the protests. The reaction to the strike was unpleasant; In the academic article “The British General Strike”, which was published in the 88th volume of Advocate of Peace through Justice, it says that “the strike was seen as a defensive action on the government” (418). However, the true nature of the fight was to be “engaged on a purely industrial struggle” and that “no attack on the Constitution was intended”, as stated by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (418). Many strong government supporters and wealthy citizens were very against the strike and believed that it was a criticism of the government, no matter how the Trades Union Congress tried to convey its purpose and intent to the people. Following the strike, the government agreed to look ahead for better conditions for all trade workers and specifically coal miners. 

          News about the General Strike was published in many newspapers to report on the significance of the event. Even back in 1926, the news outlets and protesters knew that the strike would go down in history as being one of the United Kingdom’s largest events to advocate for labor rights. Times reported on the event in the article “The Coal Crisis”, where the newspaper from May 3d, 1926 was published. The newspaper wrote about the legacy of the protest, saying that “history will ultimately write that it was a magnificent generation that was prepared to make any sacrifice rather than see the miners driven down like slaves” (“The Coal Crisis”). Everyone knew that this event would influence not only their time but would influence the future of labor rights and advocacy in the workplace. Today, specifically with the Great Resignation, there are fights similar to those in 1926. Both the General Strike and protests in the Great Resignation show people refusing to work for companies that do not respect them. They also both showcase the struggle between working-class people and those running the company who are often just looking for cheap and exploitable labor. Using the hard work and success of those in the past as a reference, such as the General Strike of 1926, people are able to understand the need to fight for their own labor rights and respect in the workplace.  

Sources:

Britian 1926 General Strike. Newcastle, 1926.

D.H. Robertson. “A Narrative of the General Strike of 1926.” The Economic Journal, vol. 36, no. 143, 1926, pp. 375–93, https://doi.org/10.2307/2959789. Accessed 30 Apr. 2022.

“The British General Strike.” Advocate of Peace through Justice, vol. 88, no. 7, 1926, pp. 418–21, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20661322. Accessed 30 Apr. 2022.

"The Coal Crisis." Times, 3 May 1926, p. 9. The Times Digital Archive, link-gale-com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/apps/doc/CS151198371/TTDA?u=iulib_iupui&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=1736df37. Accessed 30 Apr. 2022.

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