![]() Both the General Strike and protests in the Great Resignation show people refusing to work for companies that do not respect them. Today, specifically with the Great Resignation, there are fights similar to those in 1926. Everyone knew that this event would influence not only their time but would influence the future of labor rights and advocacy in the workplace. The newspaper wrote about the legacy of the protest, saying that “history will ultimately write that it was a magnificent generation that was prepared to make any sacrifice rather than see the miners driven down like slaves” (“The Coal Crisis”). Times reported on the event in the article “The Coal Crisis”, where the newspaper from May 3d, 1926 was published. Even back in 1926, the news outlets and protesters knew that the strike would go down in history as being one of the United Kingdom’s largest events to advocate for labor rights. News about the General Strike was published in many newspapers to report on the significance of the event. Following the strike, the government agreed to look ahead for better conditions for all trade workers and specifically coal miners. Many strong government supporters and wealthy citizens were very against the strike and believed that it was a criticism of the government, no matter how the Trades Union Congress tried to convey its purpose and intent to the people. However, the true nature of the fight was to be “engaged on a purely industrial struggle” and that “no attack on the Constitution was intended”, as stated by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (418). The reaction to the strike was unpleasant In the academic article “The British General Strike”, which was published in the 88th volume of Advocate of Peace through Justice, it says that “the strike was seen as a defensive action on the government” (418). While the strike is now viewed as a monumental moment in history, at the time many upper-upper class people and government organizations were not happy with all of the protests. The strike was a success that ended with better conditions for the working people. The number of involuntary unemployed at the register of the Employment Exchanges increased from 1,105,916 on May 3 to 1,576,000 on May 10” (387). The loss to the country as a whole was roughly estimated at £30,000,000. Robertson, an English economist, reported in his article “A Narrative of the General Strike of 1926” that “the total direct cost of the strike to the Government was estimated at £433,000. On the first day of the strike, May 4th, about one and a half million men joined in and did not go to work. The strike was specifically targeted at worsening conditions and severe wage reductions for the workers. The Trades Union Congress, a federation of trade unions mainly in England and Wales that represents a majority of the trade unions, called the strike together to advocate for coal miners' rights in the workplace. While the protest traveled all over the United Kingdom, many of the main gatherings accumulated around Newcastle, a city in northeastern England. ![]() ![]() It lasted for nine days, spanning from May 4th to May 12th, 1926. The General Strike of 1926 was the largest industrial dispute in British history.
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