The General Strike 1926

The General Strike 1926

1. Background

   • Being brewing since pre war years
   • several years of industrial unrest which all governemtns had to deal with in 1920's
   • industrial unrest resulted in RED FRIDAY in 1925

2. Outbreak

   • 4-12 May 1926
   • coal mining facing crisis
   • mine owners wanted pay cuts & longer working hours
   • Miners wanted same conditions & nationalisation
     • 'Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day'
   • reached breaking point when mine owners locked out miners on 3 May 1926

3. Sympathy Strikes

   • miners leader tried to get sympathetic support for miners
   • TUC have previously being trying to get a settlement for the miners

4. Role of Baldwin

   • hostile and confrontational
     • Out of character for Baldwin as he had a preference for class harmony
   • set up samuel commission but ignored the finding from it
   • he may have wanted to defeat trade unions to show his leadership

5. Consequences

   • government always had upper hand
     • better prepared than trade union
   • legacy of bitterness remained on both sides
   • Baldwin passes TRADE DISPUTES ACT 1927
     • outlawed future general strikes
       • overturned in 1946