Come to Barnsley!

Unite is inviting everyone to head to Barnsley this weekend to mark 100 years since the General Strike.

The strike that brought the country to a stand still in 1926 is a moment in working history that still echoes in today’s fights for fair pay, secure work, and dignity on the job.

Organisers have pulled together a packed day, and you can start early from 10.00am for a free breakfast, a series of talks and a chance to catch some snap, a cuppa and a natter, and you won’t want to miss Voice Of The People, a great exhibition from Les Monaghan.

Then everyone will meet at the Key Workers statue on Glass Square at 13.00pm to hear from striking workers from the Brum bin strike and Doncaster First bus strike, before marching alongside the Tweit Silver Band to the historic NUM building for a rally featuring speakers, choirs and Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham, bringing the spirit of 1926 into today’s industrial struggles.

No working class history event would be complete without some radical tunes, and Unite has you covered from 17:00pm when the day continues well into the night at Vault 27 with a General Strike 100 gig featuring live music and performances from Ferocious Dog, The Wakes, The Primevals, and more.

Unite has also published a newspaper, which you can read it online, and on the day, there will be souvenirs for those attending, including an exclusive t-shirt and a fantastic 160-page book about the strike.

Senior Unite Organiser, Joe Rollin, recently wrote about the importance of the General Strike in Labour Hub, and said, “Sick leave, maternity and paternity leave, paid holidays and safer workplaces – many of us take all of these for granted in our working lives. But these rights are not and were never guaranteed. They were hard won by trade unionists, standing together in their fight for change.

“And we can trace the origins of these rights back to 100 years ago. On May 3rd 1926, the General Strike began, with 1.7 million workers across different industries walking out and bringing Britain to a standstill.”

Joe invited everyone to make a day of it Barnsley and remember the striking workers, adding. “The strike was a showcase of working class solidarity and unity. Collective action was at its heart. These remain very important tenets of the trade union movement today – trade unionists know this is our strength and it is something we will always celebrate.”

With such a packed day, there will be something for everyone, and you can see below for the full programme.

The full agenda for the day

10.00 to 12.30 – Talks by leading historians of the General Strike and Miners Lockout at Barnsley Civic, Eldon Street, S70 2JL. Drop in for a free breakfast supplied by Old George café, and find out more about the events of 1926 from:

Plus an exhibition of photographs by Les Monaghan, and a display of the NUM archives by Sarah Hughes of University of Warwick Modern Records Centre

13.00 – Meet at the Key Workers statue in Glass Works Square (S70 1GW) for speeches from striking workers from the Birmingham bin strike and Doncaster First Bus strike.

Then we march with banners and the Tewit Silver Brass Band from Glass Works Square to the NUM building

14.30 to 15.30 – Keynote speakers in the historic main hall at the NUM headquarters, Huddersfield Road, S70 2LS:

15.30 to 16.30 – Performances in the NUM hall by:

17.00 til late – Gig at Vault 27, Church Street, S70 2AH with:

Gig tickets are £15 + booking from here.

It’ll be a day to live long in the memory, and to keep up to date with all the latest news and information on the Unite’s General Strike Centenary event in Barnsley, register your interest here. 

And don’t forget – “Not a penny off the day, not a minute on the day!”

By Keith Hatch