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The General Strike 1926: Causes and Context

Who really holds the power in a country: the elected government or the workers who keep the lights on and the trains running? This was the ultimate question tested during the General Strike of 1926.

The crisis began in the Coal Industry. When Winston Churchill returned Britain to the Gold Standard in 1925, British coal exports became overly expensive and uncompetitive against Polish and German coal.
The Samuel Commission investigated the industry and recommended a 13.5% wage reduction for miners alongside the withdrawal of government subsidies.
After mine owners "locked out" miners on 1 May 1926 for refusing wage cuts and longer hours, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called a sympathy strike to support the 800,000 miners.

Actions and Reactions: TUC vs the Government

The TUC's actions were massive in scale but reactive. They called out their "First Line" of 1.5 to 1.75 million transport, printing, and heavy industry workers, while setting up Local Councils of Action to manage food transport permits.

However, the government had used the 9-month subsidy granted on "Red Friday" (July 1925) to meticulously prepare for a strike.
The government divided Britain into 10 administrative regions and relied on the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies (OMS), which recruited 226,000 volunteers to replace striking workers and keep supplies moving.
Winston Churchill edited the government's propaganda newspaper, The British Gazette, which reached a circulation of 2 million. This allowed the government to frame the strike as a revolutionary, unconstitutional threat to democracy.

Evaluating the Impact and the Trade Disputes Act 1927

After 9 days, the TUC called off the strike without any written guarantees protecting workers, using a "face-saving" unofficial proposal called the Samuel Memorandum. The government quickly capitalised on this victory to legally cripple union power.

The Trade Disputes Act 1927 made general and sympathy strikes illegal.

Students often confuse 'Black Friday' (the 1921 failure of union solidarity) with 'Red Friday' (the 1925 success where the government granted a 9-month mining subsidy). Make sure to use Red Friday when explaining the build-up to 1926.

For 'Evaluate' questions on the 1926 strike, examiners expect you to explicitly mention the government's success in branding the strike as an 'unconstitutional' threat to democracy using The British Gazette.

When answering 'Describe' questions about 1980s reforms, use sequential language ('First', 'Next', 'Finally') to show you understand Thatcher's 'step-by-step' strategy.

To access higher marks, link the harshness of the 1980s trade union reforms to the public backlash following the 1978-79 strikes (the Winter of Discontent), which gave Thatcher the political mandate to act.

A major sector of the British economy that triggered both the 1926 General Strike and the 1984-1985 Miners' Strike over disputes regarding wages, hours, and pit closures.

A 1925 royal commission that investigated the coal industry and controversially recommended wage cuts for miners alongside industry reorganisation.

The national umbrella organisation for trade unions in the UK, which coordinated the 1926 General Strike.

A government-backed volunteer network established in 1925 to recruit workers to replace strikers and maintain essential services.

A law passed after the General Strike that made sympathetic strikes illegal and severely restricted trade union powers and political funding.

A system introduced in 1927 where union members had to actively sign a form to agree to pay a political levy to the Labour Party.

The Conservative Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 who implemented a 'step-by-step' legislative strategy to significantly reduce the power of trade unions.

A series of laws passed by Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s designed to incrementally reduce the power of trade unions.

Industrial action where striking workers picket a location that is not their own direct place of work, such as a supplier's factory.

An agreement where an employer agrees to hire only workers who are members of a specific trade union.

Legal protection that previously prevented trade unions from being sued for civil wrongs, such as a business's loss of profits during a strike.

The powerful trade union representing coal miners, which was defeated during the bitter 1984-1985 strike.

The legal seizure of a trade union's assets and bank accounts by a court, used heavily during the 1984-1985 Miners' Strike.