7/28/2023 0 Comments General strike definition duboisThe Samuel Commission was thus accepted by the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, allowing mine owners to offer their workers new terms of employment with their contracts. However, the most dramatic recommendation which would have far-reaching implications was to reduce miner’s wages by 13.5%, and at the same time advising the withdrawal of the government subsidy. Another included the nationalisation of royalties. Some of these included the reorganisation of the mining industry with the view of making necessary improvements if applicable. The conclusions drawn from the report were published in March 1926 and provided a series of recommendations. As part of this commission, the mining industry was investigated for its impact on families, those who were dependent on the coal industry as well as its possible impact on other industries. Meanwhile, a Royal Commission was set up, under the guidance of Sir Herbert Samuel with the intention of investigating the root causes of the mining crisis and thus finding the best possible solution. The Trade Union Congress subsequently backed the miners in their plight, whilst in government Stanley Baldwin, the Conservative Prime Minister felt it necessary to provide a subsidy to maintain the wages at their current level. This was the phrase which echoed around the mining community. “Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day”. When the mine owners announced their intentions to reduce wages further, they were met with fury by the Miners Federation. The miners’ pay in a seven year period was reduced from £6.00 to a miserly £3.90, an unsustainable figure contributing to severe poverty for a generation of workers and their families. The mine owners therefore, feeling threatened by the economic decision-making around them and yet unwilling to concede a declining profit margin, made the decision to cut wages and increase working hours in order to maintain their business outlooks and profit potential. The strength of the currency needed to be maintained through other processes, such as raising interest rates which in turn proved detrimental for business owners. The Gold Standard Act of 1925 effectively had the ill-advised effect of making the British pound too strong against other currencies, adversely affecting the export market in Britain. Despite the warnings from the famous economist, John Maynard Keynes, Churchill’s policy was put into practice, a decision that would be remembered as an “historic mistake” by many. Whilst coal prices began to fall, they were further impacted by Churchill’s decision to reintroduce the gold standard in 1925. What this meant for Britain was falling coal prices, impacting negatively on the domestic market. Germany began providing “free coal” to French and Italian markets as part of their reparation plans. This was introduced in order to stabilise the German economy and relieve some of the burdens of wartime reparations, an effective bolster for the German economy which managed to stabilise its currency and re-align itself into the international coal market. Miners were suffering: the work was difficult, injury and death was commonplace and the industry was failing to support its workers.Īnother factor which worsened the fortunes of the British coal industry was the impact of the 1924 Dawes Plan. Other countries were mechanising pits in order to increase efficiency: Britain was falling behind.įurthermore, as the mining industry was not nationalised and was in the hands of private owners, they were able to make decisions such as cutting pay and increasing hours with no repercussions. This was further impacted by the failure of mine owners to embrace the essential modernisation of the industry as other countries had done such as Poland and Germany. The problems began during the First World War when the high demand for coal lead to a depletion of reserves.īy the end of the war, falling exports and mass unemployment created difficulties throughout the mining industry. There were several reasons contributing to the call for a General Strike. This became one of the largest industrial disputes to take place in British history, with millions of people participating in the nine day strike, showing the togetherness and solidarity amongst workers. On 3rd May 1926, a General Strike was called by the Trade Union Congress in response to the poor working conditions and lessening of pay. The General Strike, the only one to take place in Britain, was called on 3rd May 1926 and lasted nine days an historic walkout by British workers representing the dissatisfaction of millions and ushering in the need for change across the country.
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