As the general strike reaches its centenary year, the Working Class Movement Library in Salford will partner with General Strike 100 for a range of events and exhibitions commemorating the significance of those involved.
On 4 May 2026, the Working Class Movement Library will open its exhibition, ‘The Great Betrayal: One Hundred Years On’.
The library will also be working alongside the General Federation of Trade Unions as part of the General Strike 100 project to teach the lessons of the historical 1926 general strike, where 1.7 million workers stopped working for nine days to support coal miners facing wage cuts.
The Working Class Movement Library is an independent library and archive that documents 200 years of working-class movement history. With an extensive range of published material related to the strikes, from books, pamphlets, and newspapers, which all tell the story 100 years on.
Belinda Scarlett from the Working Class Movement Library said: “I think it’s one of the subjects that feels quite far away now. So I think people have sort of lost track of it. We want to make people aware of some of the lesser-known narratives.”
Salford has a deep historical connection to the general strike and the working-class movement, with a strong relation to the trade union that soon became a driving force in the general strike movement.
Belinda added: “We’re gonna make particular efforts to make sure Salford-based stories are in our general strike exhibition, the whole exhibition really is gonna be from the point of view of the strikers. Trying to tell their stories from their perspectives rather than the traditional newspaper or generic narratives that were around at the time”.
The working class library will be making a strong effort to remember those in Salford involved in the strikes and the personal stories of those who lived it.
“In particular, we will be looking at a Salford-based striker who actually died in police custody. He was arrested for distributing material about the strike, which was deemed problematic or dangerous in some way. He was actually taken into custody, but due to a long-term illness and not receiving his medication, he passed away in prison”.
As the general strike reaches its centenary year, the prevalence is stronger than ever. The library explains the importance of young people getting involved in remembering those involved.
“Obviously, young people are really struggling with cost-of-living, and you know university fees and all the things that are affecting young people are actually quite relevant to some of the things that these strikers would’ve been campaigning for”.
Earlier in the year, the library celebrated the life of mining activist Anne Scargill, as they look to delve into Salford’s rich history once more.
More information about the celebrations to come is availible here.
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