CENTENARY: THE GENERAL STRIKE OF 1926

The strike originated as an industrial dispute between the miners and the mine owners, over reduced pay for more hours work. When the Trades Union Congress (TUC) declared their support for the strike, other industrial workers including those in road transport, rail, docks, electricity and gas, printers, and iron and steel all walked out and it became the first every General Strike for Britain. The strikers wanted to force the government to intervene and stop the mine owners from increasing their daily hours from 7 to 8 hours whilst reducing wages by 13%. The first few days of the strike saw the transport network grind to a halt without bus and train drivers and food deliveries were delayed. The army stepped in quickly and along with volunteers got some transport moving again. Nine days after it began, the TUC called off the strike, following secret discussions with the mine owners. The miners had won no concessions for their cause. The strikers slowly returned to work apart from the miners who struggled on until November, eventually having to return to work with less money and more hours. There are personal memories of getting through the strike recorded by Ray Johnson in an interview with Mr Cole - a miner at Birchenwood Colliery, Kidsgrove.