Causes and Effects of the 1926 General Strike

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Causes and Effects of the 1926 General Strike

Causes

  • Long term causes:
  • - Underlying problems in coal industry (main reason). eg Staple Industries lack of modernisation. Rising popularity of new fuels such as oil and gas = demand for coal decreases. Coal seams deeper and deeper = cost of production increases. Industry needed to modernise, might've happened if LG had not given the mines back to mine owners in 1921. Private owners response to increased costs and falling profits = reduce production and cut wages
  • -Return to the Gold Standard in 1925 By chancellor Winston Churchill. More pressure on coal industry, value of GB coal exports too expensive.
  • June 1925 Mine owners announce plans to cut wages and make miners work longer hours
  • TUC and Union militancy-> 8 million members post-war
  • Red Clydside Jan 1919
  • Perhaps not as radical as thought to be, most strikes just about rising living costs and anger at the refusal of employers to even talk about issues in industry
  • Significant Development = Reformation of the Trade Union Congress in 1920 + amalgamation of smaller unions into larger blocs eg Transport and General Workers Union (Ernest Bevin leading)
  • 1921 Black Friday. Triple Alliance (founded 1914, railwaymen, transport workers and miners)  becomes cripple alliance 15th April 1921. When LG returns miners ot mine owners and Railwaymen (JT Thomas) and Transport workers fail to strike in support of miners. TUC guilty for not supporting and determined to not let down miners next time...
  • Lack of action from the Sankey Commission of 1919 which asked for increased wages and shorter working day
  • More immediate causes:
  • Coal exports : 1925 54.5 million tonnes, 1926 20.5 million tonnes
  • 1925 Red Friday-> mine owners insisted on wage cuts and longer hours (due to falling price of coal) miners refused to accept and union leaders AJ Cook and Herbert Smith willing to Strike ALONE! TUC offered support (due to feeling guilty about Black Friday)
  • New commission, but after Sankey commission still not trusted by miners.
  • SB on 31st July 1925 grants a SUBSIDY to coal industry so that wages can remain as they are for 9 months. Cons say SB given in to union intimidation. This is called 'RED FRIDAY'
  • Samuel Report 1926 royal commission, heavily critical of mining industry and its owners. Recommended pit-head baths for miners and not lengthening working day. Did NOT endorse full nationalisation but did say that the PROFITS SHOULD BE NATIONALISED. But more SIGNIFICANTLY-> wage-cuts were necessary. 10%
  • Failure of Negotiations:
  • Deadlock when mine owners and union leaders met. Mine owners refuse to raise wages and still push for longer hours. AJ Cook "Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day.". Some mine owners were smpathetic eg Sir Alfred Mond
  • April 20th 1926 almost 1,000 union leaders (TUC) met in LDN, news that GOV had already declared a state of emergency + pledged their support for miners.
  • Agreed that strike would take place at 1 minute to midnight on 3rd May. Smith and Cook handed organisation of strike over to the TUC-> tried to negotiate with Gov again.
  • SB cancelled talks when he heard the printers at the Daily Mail were refusing to strike (Churchill whipped up daily mail workers by forcing them to publish anti-union article)
  • TUC leaders tried to meet SB again he had gone to bed. (proof that most TUC leaders were MODERATES like JH Thomas who feared the strike would lead to the crushing of union power).

Effects

  • -TUC as body discredited as as they failed to negotiate with GOV properly. Called off strike on 12th may (lasting 9 days) and left each union to organise post-strike arrangements
  • TUC exhausted meagre funds of £4m
  • Union membership fell from 8.3 mil in 1920 to 5.3 mil in 1926, to 4.3 mil in 1933
  • SB's gov passed the TRADE DISPUTES ACT 1927 (cynical attack on Lab Party forcing members to contract into paying funds, dramatic fall in Lab Party funds) and banning sympathetic strikes
  • Realisation of workers that political action through the labour party was more effective means of gaining concessions-> Labour Party's victory  in 1929 elections and landslide in 1945
  • SB's cynical clampdown led to Tory election defeat 1929
  • 1945-51 Lab Govs nationalised key industries such as Coal mines
  • General Strike damaged SB's reputation as a moderate politician.
  • Clearest display of class war in British history
  • Deepened divide b/w Asquith (condemned it) and LG (moderate conciliatory line)
  • Move away from direct action. Eg in 1928-9 Mond (head of Imperial Chemistry Industries) and Turner (head of TUC) talks  about improving efficiency

Overall summary

Long term lack of investment in Mines, and failure to implement modernisation and own recommendations in Sankey commission 1919 -> key reasons for the General Strike. In addition, Black Friday 15th April 1921, made TUC much more likely to actually get involved with strike

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