12/6/2023 0 Comments 1926 general strike![]() ![]() The left leaders were immensely popular throughout the working class, and gave very fiery speeches, some even coming out for the ‘socialist revolution’. An ‘Anglo-Russian Committee’ of Russian and British trade union leaders – to cement an alliance allegedly to fight war – was organised, on which the left-wing leaders of the TUC General Council were prominent. The leaders of the left wing in the TUC made far more radical speeches and gestures than the left at the present time. The expression of this move to the left was the organisation of the Minority Movement in the trade unions, with a left-wing programme, which succeeded in organising in its ranks 1,250,000 members – a quarter of the organised trade union movement. The working class in Britain had been swinging to the left, following the coming to power of the Baldwin government in 1924. The Tory government prepared an “Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies” (OMS) a civil guard, which the British fascists joined Special Constables and an elaborate network for each county in Britain to confront the TUC and the working class After nine months, they recommended increased hours, lower wages, and district agreements – policies that had already been rejected! A £23 million subsidy was given for nine months to allow the government time to complete its preparations.Īt the same time, the Samuel Commission was appointed to go into the question of the mining dispute. The shadow of conflict loomed.ĭespite the complaints of the right-wing Tories, Baldwin and the government engaged in a temporary retreat in order to thoroughly prepare for a showdown with the miners and with the whole of the working class. The transport unions and other sections issued instructions to black the handling and transporting of coal if the miners were locked. The working class, in solidarity with the miners and in defence of its own living standards, was prepared to resist. The British capitalist class wished, as now, to put the burden of its own inefficiency and incapacity onto the shoulders of the working class. With an antiquated industry, the only way Britain could succeed in maintaining a hold on world markets, in the face of more modern and up to date rivals, was at the expense of the working class. This attack on the miners – and on all sections of the working class – was because of the decline of British capitalism. The miners were asked to accept a reduction of 13% in wages, to starvation levels, and to work an extra hour. The Tory Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin declared on 30 July 1925 that: “All the workers in this country have got to take reductions in wages to help put industry on its feet.” In 1926, the position of the ruling class was that of a direct assault on the wages of the working class. It is the choice of death by fire or death by a thousand cuts. But the results for the working class are the same. In 1925, the ruling class had a policy of deflation, instead of – as at present – inflation. The causes of the 1926 general strike lay in a similar situation to the position which is developing at the present time. You can read the full original version of this article at the Ted Grant Internet Archive. ![]() It is therefore essential that we learn the lessons of the defeat of 1926, and prepare ourselves for the explosive events that lie ahead. It is quite possible that this belligerent Tory government and the trade union leaders could stumble into one.Ī general strike, however, poses the question of power. The idea of a general strike has once again been raised. Today, after years of relative acquiescence, we are once again seeing a growing number of strikes. At that time, Britain was rocked by a wave of strikes, and a general strike was inherent in the situation. We are proud to republish an edited article on the 1926 general strike by Ted Grant, originally written in April 1973.
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