National Railway strike of 1911

The strike lasted only two days, but the show of strength succeeded in forcing the Liberal Government to set up a royal commission to examine the workings of the 1907 Conciliation Board.

[1] The strike also led to the Llanelli Riots of 1911, in which two people died in clashes between railway workers and troops, which had been sent in to stop the blockade of the line by strikers.

The strike arose from widespread dissatisfaction with the activities of the so-called "conciliation boards" which had been set up to negotiate between workers and rail companies.

The unions issued an ultimatum to the rail companies to accept direct negotiation with their representatives within 24 hours or a national strike would be called.

[4] The Home Secretary, Winston Churchill suspended the Army Regulation, which required that local authorities needed to request troops before they were sent.