“Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day”.
Crooked Spire Press and The Fig Tree online webzine are delighted to announce a new Special Issue to commemorate 100 years since the General Strike of 1926.
Submissions for the issue are now CLOSED. Anyone who has submitted will be informed before the end of June 2026. The online issue will be published on August 1st 2026 and the printed anthology, containing the online selections and around 30 additional poems will be published later in the year. Thanks to Nick Allen for editing this special issue.
The 1926 Strike was a watershed moment in British labour relations. It wasn’t the first time that coordinated strike action hit a range of industries across the UK but it galvanised the government into creating a range of anti-Union laws in the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act 1927. This was eventually repealed by the Attlee government in 1946 but since 1979 many of its aims have been re-legislated.
Submissions were sought for unpublished poems or song lyrics about the following topics:
- The General Strike of 1926
- The Union Movement – its history and benefits
- Subsequent or prior strikes
- The role of Unions in the modern world
Thanks to everyone who submitted, whether successful or not.
Crooked Spire Press 