Marx Memorial Library & Workers’ School launches its centenary programming marking 100 years since the 1926 General Strike.

A look back to ‘Red Friday’ – 31 July 1925, a turning point in the lead-up to the General Strike. On that day, miners – backed by the powerful ‘Triple Alliance’ – won a temporary victory, forcing the government to subsidise wages and suspend threatened cuts. Red Friday was more than a win for the miners – it was a moment that reshaped industrial relations in Britain. But the victory was short-lived. In the months that followed, the state intensified its preparations: boosting security, drafting new laws, and launching propaganda to undermine union strength and stoke fear of communism. Red Friday wasn’t the end – it was the beginning of a bigger struggle.

The panel

• Meirian Jump, MML Director – on the Library’s holdings and legacy of the General Strike
• Professor Mary Davis – on Red Friday’, the miners & the role of the state
• Eddie Dempsey, RMT General Secretary – on trade union alliances and the enduring power of solidarity