THE focus in May, 1926, wasn't on the spring foliage, mild temperatures or the coming summer.

Months of talks and commissions looking into miners' pay and conditions came to an end and the result was a general strike.

The action lasted nine days, from May 4 to May 13 but had little effect, with the workers forced to return for less pay and longer hours - the reasons the action was called in the first place.

Some 800,000 miners were affected by new terms and found allies with many other workers, mostly from transport and heavy engineering firms, who also walked out.

In all, 1.7million workers left their posts, but enough middle class volunteers were found to continue essential services and the unions caved in.

Workers who still had jobs were worse off, but many who lost jobs struggled to find anything else.

In Glasgow, workers' anger spilled over, with this bus being put back on its wheels after apparently being in the wrong place at the wrong time during the protests.