Strike action

Lore & Background

The first historically certain account of strike action was in ancient Egypt on 14 November in 1152 BCE, when artisans of the Royal Necropolis at Deir el-Medina walked off their jobs in protest at the failure of the government of Ramesses III to pay their wages on time and in full. The royal government ended the strike by raising the artisans' wages. A much later Jewish source, the Talmud, records that bakers who prepared showbread for the altar also went on strike. In ancient Rome, the secessio plebis—a withdrawal of the plebeians from the state—has been characterized as an early predecessor of the general strike, first appearing in history when plebeians protested the enslavement of their fellows by patrician creditors.

Origin of the term

The modern English term "strike" originated in 1768, when sailors in London "struck" or removed the topgallant sails of merchant ships to cripple them in support of demonstrations. The 1797 Spithead and Nore mutinies anticipated later labor-strike elements, including use of the red flag. Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labor in factories and mines gave rise to a widespread workers' consciousness. The first modern general strike began in 1842 in Britain, starting in Staffordshire coal mines and spreading to factories, cotton mills, and mines across the country, with over 500,000 workers—half the industrial workforce—participating.

Sickout

This politically motivated strike aimed to win concessions and was part of the Chartist movement. Governments often responded with repression, deeming early strikes unlawful conspiracies or cartels, and using state police, federal military, and courts against them. Many Western nations later legalized strikes under certain conditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Strikes can also pressure governments, as seen in the 1920 German general strike that collapsed the Kapp Putsch, and the 1980 Gdańsk Shipyard strike, which contributed to the fall of communist rule in Eastern Europe.

Reader's Guide

Strike action is a form of direct action where employees collectively refuse to work, typically in response to grievances and after other avenues like negotiation have been exhausted. It can be called by trade unions or rank-and-file activists. Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labor in factories and mines emerged.

Early strikes were often deemed unlawful conspiracies and faced repression by state police, federal military, and courts, though many Western nations later legalized them under certain conditions. Strikes can also pressure governments, sometimes destabilizing political rule as part of broader civil resistance campaigns. Notable examples include the 1980 Gdańsk Shipyard strikes in Poland, which contributed to the fall of the Iron Curtain, and the general strike in Weimar Germany in 1920 that collapsed the Kapp Putsch.

The first historically certain strike occurred in ancient Egypt in 1152 BCE, when royal necropolis artisans walked off the job over unpaid wages, which were then raised. The first modern general strike began in 1842 in Britain, spreading from coal mines to factories and mills, with over 500,000 workers participating in a politically motivated action for concessions. Strikes are the subject of various schools of thought and creative works, such as the painting Strike by Mihály Munkácsy.