On industrial relations

Today, 2026 May 3, marks the centenary of the onset of a general strike in the UK. In response to a dispute over the organisation and pay in British coal mines following the end of a fixed-term government subsidy, the Trades Union Congress called out many affiliated unions in sympathy. Between 1.7 million and 3 million workers came out, with some unions striking only after the general strike officially ended on the 12th. Reactions to the strike shaped relationships between government and workers, unions and the Labour Party, the secret service and the unions, the secret service and the Labour Party, unions and the TUC, the government and the BBC, the BBC and the newspapers, and other organisations in ways that still impact British society today. This is not that story. This is the story of the truism at the core of the general strike and the government’s response: in a dispute between you and your employer, you can’t rely on the government for help. Only your trade union can support…