Commemorative plaque 70762

This black commemorative plaque records: 1923 Braunston Canal Strike. Around this wharf in August 1923 Brunston's community of boat families came out on strike. Canal employers Fellows Morton and Clayton, based here at Braunston, had told the boat families that they would be reducing their already meagre pay-packets once more. Between fifty and sixty striking boat families gathered here at Braunston blocking the canal. The strike, to fight the wage cuts and for the right to join a union, was to last for fourteen weeks. It was one of the first disputes anywhere to involve the recently created Transport and General Workers Union. The TGWY would go on to become the world's biggest trades union. The TGWU is now part of Unite the Union who supported the erection of this memorial plaque. Unveiled by Julia Long National Officer, Unite the Union, 27 June 2015. Recorded plaque organisation: Unite the Union.

The 1923 Braunston Canal Strike was a pivotal event where boat families protested against wage cuts and fought for union recognition, marking one of the first disputes involving the Transport and General Workers Union. This strike highlighted the struggles of canal workers and contributed to the growth of labor unions in the UK.