The loss of foreign markets, the fall of world commodity prices, and the decline in the competitiveness of British coal in foreign markets exacerbated existing poor relations between mine owners and workers. The mine owners’ response to falling productivity (due to their lack of modernisation and reinvestment) was a proposal to reduce wages and increase working hours.
For the miners, this wasn’t acceptable. They worked in miserable conditions: two percent died, and 25% were injured or crippled by industrial disease. They were discontented because the nationalisation promised by the 1919 Sankey Commission had not happened. The miners had experienced better working conditions during the nationalisation of the 1914-18 war. The proposal to reduce pay and increase hours added insult to the injury of re-privatisation of the mines after the war, and failure to implement Sankey’s recommendations.
Until 1925, the TUC kept out of the dispute. Following the mine owners’ offer, the TUC felt it had to intervene to stop exploitation spreading to other industries. This is why it can be argued that the coal industry was the catalyst to the General Strike. It took extreme exploitation of mineworkers for the TUC to decide to act. The TUC’s involvement signalled a turning point.
Initially, the government also kept out of the coal dispute. When, in 1925, the TUC threatened to support the mineworkers, though, the government provided a £23million in coal industry subsidies. A strike was temporarily avoided. The subsidy, though, was only for nine months. During this time, the government appointed Samuel Commission investigated the problems of British mining and its low productivity.
Samuel reported in 1926. The report rejected nationalisation, but recognised a need for modernisation. It recommended the withdrawal of subsidies and cuts to miners’ wages. The government would accept the recommendations if both sides agreed. This was unrealistic: the report suggested things that neither party would agree. The conflict returned to the same position as before.
In the same month as the Samuel report was published, the mine owners published their own report. This proposed extending the working day; separate wage agreements for each district; and a reduction in all wages by 10% to 20%. The mine owners said they would lock the mineworkers out if they did not agree to these terms.
On 1st May 1926, the TUC announced that a strike would start on 3rd May. TUC leaders were not happy about the proposed strike and spent two days negotiating with government and mine owners. These talks were close to agreement when Baldwin, the PM, called them off. Allegedly, Baldwin ended the negotiations because of reports that Daily Mail printers were already taking industrial action. These reports were extremely convenient for Baldwin. He was under pressure from other Conservative ministers to end negotiations. Some, including Churchill, felt that accepting TUC conditions would demonstrate weak government. Baldwin could have done more to avoid a General Strike, as the TUC was clearly willing to compromise. Baldwin, however, chose to prioritise Conservative Party unity.
Another criticism of Baldwin is that he did not use the Samuel report to resolve the conflict. It has been argued that if he had enforced its findings, the General Strike would have been averted. Another view is that implementation of the Samuel report would have worsened the dispute between miners and mine owners. Baldwin could not win. The government’s response did not cause the General Strike – but it did nothing to prevent it.
The general strike of 1926 was caused by a combination of economic crisis, a crippled coal industry, and a poor government response. British industry was moribund and the government could have reacted more responsibly to the needs of the workers. But these were additional to the underlying conflicts in the coal industry. The miners were extremely unhappy with their dire working conditions and failure to nationalise the industry. They refused to accept lower wages and longer hours. The treatment of the miners made the TUC act.
I think that the mine owners’ proposals for lower wages and longer hours were the catalyst for the General Strike. If it weren’t for that, it would’ve taken longer or never happened.