General Strike Essay

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Causes of the General Strike In this essay I will discuss the reasons for the start of the general strike, the long and short term causes. In the 1920's Britain was having a hard time on the industrial front. It had begun with the miners, the coal industry wasn't fairing to well and was declining rapidly and had been since 1918. This was because during the first world war the mines were run by the government and the conditions of the mines were good but also the wages were standardised which the miners had no problems with as the were very acceptable. As soon as the war was over the mines returned back to private ownership and cuts in wages were announced immediately. The fall in mining productivity …show more content…

====================================================================== Due to the rapid fall in production the mine owners announced to the workers that their wages were to be reduced. The miners consequently went on strike to try and make the mine owners change their minds. Then the miners formed a TRIPLE ALLIANCE with the railway workers and transport workers (the National Union or Railwaymen and General Workers Union). The agreement said that under the triple alliance that the Railway union and the general workers union had to go on strike with the miners as a sympathy strike. This would cause major problems for the owners of their respective industries. ====================================================================== On Friday 15th April 1921, the General workers and the Railway workers refused to support the miners and stopped their workers going out on strike with them. This was a bad day for the miners and was …show more content…

The miners saw this as a great victory for Labour and named 31st July 1925 Red Friday this was by no means the end of it though as the subsidies were only for nine months. During this time the government set up the Samuel Commission to investigate the problems of British mining and discuss how best to increase its productivity. ===================================================================== The report was published in 1926, it rejected nationalisation but recognised a need for modernisation, it also recommended that subsidies should be withdrawn and miners' wages cut. The government agreed to accept the report if both sides agreed with its findings. This was unrealistic as the report made suggestions which neither party were willing to agree to. So the report was no help to the situation at all and the conflict returned to the same position as before the government

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