Kyotakavian general strike (1924)

1924 General Strike
Svozgardan Soldiers at a picket in Stenzgord. (24 July 1924)
Date 3 July - 7 August, 1924 Location Nodstok State, Kyotakavia Result Government Tactical Victory 57 mines closed Strike broken up Trade Union Political Victory Large public support for Trade Union strike action Total collapse of “Coal Belt” support for the Populist Party Majority of arrested strikers released without charge
Belligerents
KUWC KUSSC	Kyotakavian Government
Commanders and leaders
KUWC Tessa Vadric KUSSC Johaan Calstaunas Georgikov Alexi  †	Kyotakavian Government Stefan Kobovic Aslan Sobivan Svozgardan Armed Forces Col. Emirus Talian
Strength
~3,400,000 striking workers	94,300 Police Officers 50,000 Svozgardan Soldiers
Casualties and losses
251 Killed 954 Injured 15,701 Arrested - 308 Charged	49 Killed 238 Injured

The 1924 general strike in Kyotakavia was a general strike that lasted for 35 days from 3 July to 7 August 1924. It was called by the President of the Kyotakavian Union and Workers Council (KUWC) in response to the Populist-Traditionalist government of Stefan Kobovic who had pursued a policy of austerity in the wake of increase tithes to Svozgarda as well as cuts to public services, a cost of living crisis that especially affected the northern border-states, wage cuts and finally the announcement of the closure of up to 60 mines in the "Coal Belt". The strike was intended to force the government to stop the closure of mines and prevent wage cuts and an estimated 3.4 million workers from across the Kyotakavian economy walked out beginning the 3 July, representing 14% of the workforce. By 17 July the economy was completely crippled, and the Populist-led government issued a request to Svozgarda to send troops in to force workers back. The move was deeply unpopular, and nearly resulted in a rebellion when soldiers opened fire at picketers in Stenzgord, Albaniv and up to four other mining communities in western Nodstok and north-eastern Uzgoyav that killed 234 people (Including KUSSC Representative for Albaniv, Georgikov Alexi and wounded nearly 1,000 others. By 5 August, most workers had been forced back, and on the 7 August, the strike was finally ended though the Government had politically destroyed itself.

Background

Kyotakavia has a tradition of strong trade union militancy, exemplified by the 9 examples of national strike action in the last 50 years, nearly one every five years. A great deal of strike action was undertaken during Populist-Traditionalist governments, especially around policies of reformism, privatisation and austerity. The end of the 19th, and beginning of the 20th Century had marked a particular high-point and whilst strike action had broadly subsided, long-running disputes and policy issues, as well as a strengthening KUSSC, meant that increasingly militant trade unionist rhetoric made a strike more likely.

In the 1920 Kyotakavian general election, a Populist-Traditionalist government had been returned, though in a minority and reliant on the abstention of the Svozgardan Loyalists to pass legislation, which in 1921 had resulted in the government negotiating an increase tithe (5%, nearly doubled from 3% in 1915) as well as agreeing to pursue a policy of austerity during the economic downturn period, in return for the continued abstention of the SLA in the Assembly. The tacit endorsement of Svozgardan Loyalists and increased tithe was a deeply contentious issue in Kyotakavia throughout 1920 and into early-1921, and potential strike action had been discussed by the KUWC's Leadership in late-1921 but ultimately the political support for such a move was not there, especially with the strain it would put on workers expected to receive to pay however, when the 1922 budget announced a series of cuts to public services as well, the resulting economic downturn from the tithes Kyotakavia fell primarily on working-class communities, especially those in mining communities in eastern Nodstok which saw an approximate 18% reduction in the quality of public services between 1922 and 1923.

By 1924, the tension between the government and KUWC had reached a tipping point. The election of Tessa Vadric as KUWC General Secretary in 1922 had brought an even more hard-line stance into the trade union movement, and increasingly, threats of a general strike loomed over the government as economic downturn resulting from the increased tithe began to affect various industries. Cuts had up-to-now been avoided due to the policy of austerity, spreading the burden, but particularly hitting working-class communities, however in May 1924, the government announced plans to role out redundancies and mine closures, which threatened nearly 40,000 jobs, and in response the Mineworkers Union of Kyotakavia threatened national strikes and picketing of the mines to be closed. In the 1924 KUWC Conference, the delegates voted in favour of beginning balloting action across four industries in order to prevent the governments plans. Balloting of various unions began by the 19 June, and by the 28 June the trade unions, including some outside the KUWC, had all returned an affirmative result and and strike action was announced to begin on the 3 July.