Wakefield Banners Held High Festival will mark 100th anniversary of general strike

The event on Saturday, May 9, will feature music, speeches, and a variety of stalls until 4pm, celebrating community, history, and solidarity.

Following a mayoral address, speakers will include Sharon Graham, Eddie Dempsey, and Andrea Egan, representing trade unions at Wakefield Exchange (WX).

This year’s theme marks the 100th anniversary of the 1926 general strike, a significant moment in history when workers across industries including transport, rail, steel, textiles, and docks walked out in support of miners facing pay cuts and longer hours.

A spokeperson for the festival said: “In Yorkshire the general strike was an intense nine day stoppage of workers in support of the miners who were being asked to take a pay cut as well as an increase by an hour in their shift by the mine owners.

"Other workers in transport, railways, steelworks , textiles and the docks walked out in support of the miners over they period.

"Eventually the miners were forced to continue the struggle on their own for a further seven months.

"A general strike could not take place today as it would be illegal to take secondary action.”

Organisers said the parade offers visitors a chance to reflect on the region’s rich industrial history, enjoy local music and performances, and explore community stalls at Wakefield Exchange.

The National Coal Mining Museum has previously commemorated the general strike through exhibitions and highlighted its continuing relevance today.

Last year the key speaker at the event was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

It was the first year that speakers were hosted in Wakefield Exchange.

Organisers said the march through the city centre was the festival’s biggest yet in terms of numbers of banners with the number of participants estimated at 700.

There were union banners and those of action groups from across Yorkshire and the north of England.

It was the first time the event was hosted at WX, the city’s former market hall, and was among the biggest it had hosted at the time.