On 3 May 1926 the Trade Union Congress called for the UK’s first-ever general strike. It began at 1 minute to midnight in support of striking coal miners and lasted 9 days

“Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day.”

Over seven years, since the ending of World War 1, the weekly pay of coal miners had been lowered from £6 to £3 18shillings. . They also faced longer working hours as the owners of the Coal Mines continued to reap profits from the industry.

The General Strike was industrial action in support of the Coal Miners.

1.7 million workers took part, including transport workers, printers, dockers, engineers and others whose labour kept the country running. – General Strike 1926

The UK Government led by Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was prepared for this kind of action by the workers of so many key industries. He said, “The general strike is a challenge to the parliament and is the road to anarchy”.

The propaganda of the day stressed that the strike was of a revolutionary nature and was undermining the economic stability of the country. The armed forces and volunteer workers (mostly upper and middle class people) helped maintain basic services. The government used the Emergency Powers Act 1920 to maintain essential supplies. The government also put in place a “militia” of special constables called the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies (OMS) of volunteers to maintain order in the street.

The TUC called off the action on 12 May accepting assurances from the Government that there would be no victimisation of strikers. The coal miners continued with their strike until they were forced back by lack of food and poverty. Some were never employed again by the Mine Owners, and those who did return to work were  forced to accept longer hours, lower wages, and district wage agreements.