List of strikes

The following is a list of specific strikes (workers refusing to work, seeking to change their conditions in a particular industry or an individual workplace, or striking in solidarity with those in another particular workplace) and general strikes (widespread refusal of workers to work in an organized political campaign on a broader national or international level).

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Date	Name	Place	Country
1820	Radical War	Central Belt, Scotland	United Kingdom	Influenced by Radical demands for reform, especially among Scottish weavers
1835	Philadelphia general strike of 1835	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	United States	Successful strike for a ten-hour work day and better wages
1842	General Strike of 1842	England and Wales	United Kingdom	Chartist general strike against low wages originating from coal miners in Staffordshire before spreading to multiple industries in the Midlands as well as coal mines across the country.
1855	1855 Catalan general strike	Catalonia	Spain
1862–1865	General strike of slaves	Nationwide	Confederate States of America	Slaves in the Southern United States stopped work and attempted to cross the frontlines of the American Civil War into Union territory, in what W.E.B. Du Bois held to be a crucial turning point in the war.[48]
1877	Great Railroad Strike of 1877	West Virginia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Missouri	United States	Strike by rail workers in a number of different states for wage increases; ended after 52 days with a suppression by the National Guard and local militias
1886	Walloon jacquerie of 1886	Wallonia	Belgium
1892	New Orleans general strike of 1892	New Orleans, Louisiana	United States	Successful strike for a 10-hour day and overtime pay; notable for the participation of both white and black strikers
1893	Belgian general strike of 1893	Mons	Belgium	Strike by the Belgian Labour Party to pressure Prime Minister Auguste Beernaert's Catholic Party government to introduce universal male suffrage
1901	1901 Ybor City strikes[49]	Ybor City, Tampa, Florida	United States
1902	Geneva general strike of 1902	Geneva	Switzerland
1904	1904 Italian general strike	Nationwide	Italy
1905	1905 Russian Revolution	Nationwide	Russian Empire	General strike by workers in the industrial centres of the Russian Empire; suppressed by the Imperial Russian Army.
1907	Geneva general strike of 1907	Geneva	Switzerland
1907	New Orleans General Levee Strike of 1907	New Orleans	United States
1909	Tragic Week	Barcelona, Catalonia	Spain
1909	Swedish General Strike	Nationwide	Sweden	Unsuccessful general strike called by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation
1910	Philadelphia general strike of 1910	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	United States	Amalgamated Transit Union strike of Philadelphia Transportation Company trolley workers which expanded into a citywide American Federation of Labor general strike, eventually leading to wage increases
1912	Brisbane general strike of 1912	Brisbane, Queensland	Australia	Caused when Australian Tramway Employees Union members were dismissed for wearing union badges; ended with Queensland Police Service attacks on labor marchers in Market Square leading to a public outcry and the strengthening of the Australian labour movement
1912	Zürich general strike of 1912	Zürich	Switzerland
1917	Australian general strike of 1917	Nationwide	Australia
1917	Spanish general strike of 1917	Nationwide	Spain
1917	1917–1919 Brazil strike movement	Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul	Brazil	Series of general strikes leading to an attempted anarchist uprising against the First Brazilian Republic.
1917	1917 Twin Cities streetcar strike	Minneapolis–Saint Paul	United States	Sympathetic general strike held on December 13 in support of streetcar workers who had been engaged in a labor dispute for the past several weeks. Involved about 10,000 people.
1918	Irish General Strike against Conscription	Ireland	United Kingdom
1918	Swiss general strike of 1918	Nationwide	Switzerland
1918	Vancouver general strike	Vancouver, British Columbia	Canada	General strike caused by the arrest of Albert "Ginger" Goodwin, discontent over high living costs and low wages during World War I, and the October Revolution; ended with police attacks on union offices
1919	La Canadenca strike	Catalonia	Spain
1919	Basel and Zürich general strike of 1919	Basel and Zürich	Switzerland
1919	Seattle General Strike	Seattle, Washington	United States	Industrial Workers of the World strike caused when the Emergency Fleet Corporation denied shipbuilders' demands for higher wages and intended to start a socialist revolution; contributed to the First Red Scare
1919	Winnipeg general strike	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Canada	General strike ending with repression by the North-West Mounted Police but leading to the growth of the Canadian democratic socialist and labor movements.
1920	Berlin general strike	Berlin	Germany	General strike encouraged by the government to resist an attempted overthrow of the Weimar Republic
1920	Ruhr uprising	Ruhr	Germany	General strike in support of the Social Democratic government before expanding into a mass labor uprising to establish a "dictatorship of the proletariat"; suppressed by the Freikorps and the Reichswehr
1920	Romanian general strike of 1920	Nationwide	Romania
1922	Italian general strike of 1922	Nationwide	Italy	Unsuccessful general strike intended to prevent a seizure of power by Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party
1922	Guayaquil general strike	Guayaquil	Ecuador
1926	United Kingdom general strike of 1926	Nationwide	United Kingdom	10-day general strike by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress to prevent wage reductions and worsened conditions for coal miners; ended without concessions or violence.
1926	Sierra Leone railway strike of 1926	Nationwide	Sierra Leone
1932	Geneva general strike of 1932	Geneva	Switzerland
1933	1933 Cuban general strike	Nationwide, initially in Havana	Cuba	The strike would originally begin as a strike for bus drivers in Havana and would later grow to other sectors and spread throughout the country. The strike led to the resignation of President Gerardo Machado.[50]
1933	1933 Ecuadorian general strike[51]	Quito, Riobamba	Ecuador
1933	French general strike of 1933	Nationwide	France
1934	Portuguese general strike of 1934	Nationwide	Portugal
1934	West Coast waterfront strike of 1934	California, Oregon and Washington	United States	83-day general strike in support of the International Longshoremen's Association during the Great Depression; the success of the strike contributed to the growth of industrial unionism under the Congress of Industrial Organizations.
1934	Minneapolis general strike of 1934	Minneapolis, Minnesota	United States
1934	Auto-Lite strike	Toledo, Ohio	United States
1936	French general strike of 1936	Nationwide	France
1936	Spanish Revolution of 1936	Nationwide	Spain
1936	1936 Syrian general strike	Nationwide	Syria
1936	Palestinian general strike	Nationwide	Mandatory Palestine	General strike coordinated by the Arab Higher Committee against Jewish settlement in Palestine; eventually led to the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine.
1938	French general strike of 1938	Nationwide	France
1941	February strike	Nationwide	Netherlands
1942	Luxembourgish general strike of 1942	Nationwide	Luxembourg	Campaign of passive resistance against the Nazi occupation during World War II.
1945	Nigerian general strike of 1945	Nationwide	Nigeria
1946	Royal Indian Navy mutiny	Nationwide	India
1946	Oakland general strike of 1946	Oakland, California	United States	Part of the 1945-46 strike wave in the United States during the U.S. demobilization after World War II and the abolition of National War Labor Board restrictions, which contributed to the passage of the Taft–Hartley Act restricting union activities and strike actions.
1950	Austrian general strikes of 1950	Nationwide	Austria
1950	Belgian general strike of 1950	Nationwide	Belgium	Originated over opposition to King Leopold III of Belgium being returned to throne after his refusal to leave Belgium with the government-in-exile during the Nazi occupation; ended with his agreement to abdicate and allow his son Baudouin to take the throne
1950	Nairobi general strike of 1950	Nairobi	Kenya
1950	Positive Action campaign	Nationwide	Gold Coast
1952	Casablanca Uprisings of 1952	Casablanca	Morocco
1953	Ceylonese Hartal of 1953	Nationwide	Ceylon
1953	Uprising of 1953	Nationwide	East Germany	Originated as strike by East Berlin construction workers against Sovietization work quotas before expanding to a broad revolt against the Soviet-sponsored Socialist Unity Party's rule; repressed by the Soviet Army and the Kasernierte Volkspolizei
1954	General strike of 1954	Nationwide	Honduras
1956	Finnish general strike of 1956	Nationwide	Finland	Successful Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions general strike for higher wages
1960–61	Belgian general strike of 1960–61	Wallonia	Belgium	General Labour Federation of Belgium general strike against Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens's austerity policies, especially the Unitary Law; contributed to the growth of the Walloon Movement
1966	1966 Burkina Faso general strike	Nationwide	Burkina Faso
1968	French general strike of May 1968	Nationwide	France	Student protests which escalated into a nationwide general strike which halted the French economy and continued with wildcat strikes after the Grenelle agreements granted higher wages, leading to fears of a revolution against Charles de Gaulle; ended with Gaullist counter-demonstrations and a vote of confidence from the National Assembly.
1971-72	Namibian contract workers general strike	Nationwide	Namibia	A general strike by workers under the contract labor system of what was then known as South West Africa (now Namibia) under the control of apartheid South Africa. The goal was to end the contract labor system due to slave like conditions and promote Namibian independence. It led to SWANLA being abolished & replaced with a less punitive but still repressive contract labor system. It also fueled the war for independence.
1972	Québec general strike of 1972[52]	Québec	Canada
1973	Uruguay general strike of 1973	Nationwide	Uruguay	Unsuccessful general strike against the 1973 Uruguayan coup d'état, leading the civic-military dictatorship to ban trade unions.
1974	Ulster Workers' Council strike	Northern Ireland	United Kingdom	Successful Ulster loyalist general strike against the Sunningdale Agreement between Great Britain and Ireland, which would have attempted to resolve the Northern Ireland conflict by establishing a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and revived Council of Ireland
1975	Icelandic women's strike of 1975	Nationwide	Iceland
1976	Canadian general strike of 1976[53][54]	Nationwide	Canada
1976	March 24 strike	Nationwide	People's Republic of the Congo
1978	Iranian Revolution	Nationwide	Iran
1979	1979 New Zealand general strike	Nationwide	New Zealand	The Federation of Labour holds a 24-hour general strike held to protest the Third National Government's intervention in the general drivers' award.[55][56]
1984	Uruguayan general strikes of 1984	Nationwide	Uruguay	Successfully ended the Uruguayan dictatorships by forcing free elections to occur under the threat of continued rolling 24 hour general strikes if not allowed.[57]
1988	Spanish general strike of 1988	Nationwide	Spain	Workers' Commissions and Unión General de Trabajadores strike against the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party's policies under Prime Minister Felipe González
1989	Velvet Revolution	Nationwide	Czechoslovakia
1990	1990 Moroccan general strike[58]	Nationwide	Morocco
1992	April 1992 general strike in Nepal	Nationwide	Nepal
1995	French general strikes of 1995	Nationwide	France
1998	1998 Danish general strike[59]	Copenhagen	Denmark
1998	1998 Puerto Rican general strike	Nationwide	United States ( Puerto Rico)	41-day general strike against the privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company, accompanied by some violence and sabotage.
2000	Cochabamba Water War	Cochabamba	Bolivia
2002–2003	Venezuelan general strike of 2002–2003	Nationwide	Venezuela	General strike against President Hugo Chávez including a large contingent of PDVSA workers.
2003	Bolivian gas conflict	Nationwide	Bolivia
2006	Nepalese Revolution	Nationwide	Nepal
2007	2007 Guinea general strike	Nationwide	Guinea	Successful general strike forcing President Lansana Conté to resign.
2007	2007 South African public servants' strike	Nationwide	South Africa
2007	2007 Swazi general strike	Nationwide	Eswatini
2008	2008 Egyptian general strike	Nationwide	Egypt	General strike including large contingent of textile workers during the 2007–2008 world food price crisis
2009	2009 French Caribbean general strikes	Guadeloupe	France
2011	2011 Oakland general strike	Oakland, California	United States	Part of the Occupy Oakland demonstrations
2012	2012 European general strike	Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Belgium	European Union
2016	Indian general strike of 2016	Nationwide	India	24-hour general strike against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic policies
2017	2017 Brazilian general strike	Nationwide	Brazil	General strike against President Michel Temer's labor reform policies during the Brazilian economic crisis.
2017	2017 Catalan general strike	Catalonia	Spain	General strike in support of the Catalan independence movement, accompanied by police repression by the Spanish government.
2018	2018 Jordanian general strike	Nationwide	Jordan	Anti-austerity general strike
2018–2019	2018–2019 Iranian general strikes and protests	Nationwide	Iran
2018–present	School strike for climate	Global	Various	International movement of students skipping classes to support renewable energy and climate change mitigation
2019	2019 Catalan general strike	Catalonia	Spain
2019	2019 Hong Kong general strike	Nationwide	Hong Kong
2019	2019 Indian General Strike[60]	Nationwide	India
2019	Sudanese Revolution	Nationwide	Sudan
2020	2020–2021 Belarusian protests	Nationwide	Belarus
2020	2020 United States essential workers general strike	Nationwide	United States	General strike involving essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
2020	Strike for Black Lives	Nationwide	United States	Mass walkout in support of the George Floyd protests
2020	2020 Indian general strike	Nationwide	India	Preceded the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
2021	2021 Greek general strike	Nationwide	Greece	24-hour general strike against a bill in the Hellenic Parliament that would give employers more power in regards to their employees.[61]
2021	2021 Myanmar strikes	Nationwide	Myanmar
2021	Striketober	Nationwide	United States
2022	2022 Iranian general strike	Nationwide	Iran	3 day general strike in response to protestors killed by Iranian security forces.[62]
2022	2022 Kazakh unrest	Nationwide	Kazakhstan
2024	2024 Nigerian general strike	Nationwide	Nigeria	General strike due to low minimum wage.[63]

• List of US labor strikes by size
• List of miners' strikes
• List of worker deaths in United States labor disputes
• Streetcar strikes in the United States
• Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Timeline of labor unions in the United States
• List of protests in the 21st century

• Labor conflict in the United States, An encyclopedia. edited by Ronald Filippelli, assisted by Carol Reilly – Garland Publishing New York & London 1990 (ISBN 0-8240-7968-X)

• Chronology of general strikes
• List of labor events in U.S. history
• Recent strikes and other labour news
• Strike! Famous Worker Uprisings – slideshow by Life magazine
• The Long War at Staley