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List of strikes
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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.
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).
![Thumb](#/media/File:"Der_Streik"_von_Robert_Koehler.jpg)
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Chronological list of strikes
Twelfth century BCE
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| Date | Strike | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1158 BCE | Deir el-Medina strikes (possibly earliest recorded strike action in history) | Deir el-Medina | New Kingdom of Egypt |
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Fourteenth century
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| Date | Strike | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1353 | 1353 Walsham Manor strike [1] | Walsham le Willows | England |
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Sixteenth century
Seventeenth century
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| Date | Strike | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1619 | Polish craftsmen's strike | Jamestown | Thirteen Colonies |
| 1661 | Indentured Servants' Plot | Virginia colony | Thirteen Colonies |
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Eighteenth century
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| Date | Strike | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1766 | Silver miners' strike | Mineral del Monte | Mexico |
| 1787 | Weavers' strike | Calton, Glasgow | Scotland |
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Nineteenth century
1800–1849
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| Date | Strike | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1818 | Manchester Mill Worker's Strike | New Hampshire | United States |
| 1824 | Slater's Mill Women's Strike | Rhode Island | United States |
| 1828 | New Hampshire Mill Women's Strike | New Hampshire | United States |
| 1833 | Four pennies riot | Anzin | France |
| 1834 | Lowell Massachusetts Mill Women's Strike | Lowell, Massachusetts | United States |
| 1835 | Textile strike | Paterson, New Jersey | United States |
| 1835 | 1835 Washington Navy Yard labor strike | Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C. | United States |
| 1835 | New England Mill Strike | New England | United States |
| 1835 | Philadelphia General Strike | Philadelphia | United States |
| 1836 | Lowell Massachusetts Mill Women's Strike | Lowell, Massachusetts | United States |
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1850–1899
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Twentieth century
1900s
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1910s
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1920s
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1930s
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1940s
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1950s
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| Date | Strike | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1950 Venezuelan oil strike (es) | nationwide | Venezuela |
| 1950 | Atlanta transit strike of 1950 | Atlanta | United States |
| 1951 | New Zealand waterfront strike | nationwide | New Zealand |
| 1951 | Barcelona tram strike | Barcelona, Catalonia | Spain |
| 1951 | 1951 Aliquippa steelworkers strike[15] | Aliquippa, Pennsylvania | United States |
| 1951 | 1951 Caterpillar strike[15] | East Peoria, Illinois | United States |
| 1952 | 1952 steel strike | nationwide | United States |
| 1953 | 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike | Milwaukee | United States |
| 1953 | The Hartal of 1953 | nationwide | Sri Lanka |
| 1955 | Hock Lee bus riots | Singapore | Republic of Singapore |
| 1956 | Poznań protests of 1956 | Cegielski Factories | Polish People's Republic |
| 1957 | Murdochville strike | Murdochville, Quebec | Canada |
| 1957 | 1957 Long Island strike[16] | Long Island, New York | United States |
| 1957 | 1957 Western Electric strike[16] | nationwide | United States |
| 1958–59 | 1958–59 Mexican railroad strike[17] | nationwide | Mexico |
| 1959 | Steel strike of 1959 | nationwide | United States |
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1960s
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1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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Twenty-first century
2000s
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2010s
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2020s
See also: Timeline of strikes in 2021, Timeline of strikes in 2022, Timeline of strikes in 2023, and Timeline of strikes in 2024
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Chronological list of general strikes
More information Date, Name ...
| 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 |
|
| 1890 | Tarapacá general strike of 1890[49] | Iquique |  Chile |
Unsuccessful strike by day laborers, sailors, and saltpeter workers for better wages. |
| 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[50] | 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 |
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| 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 |
| 1918 | General strike of 14 October 1918 | Czechoslovakia |  Austria-Hungary |
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| 1919 | La Canadenca strike | Catalonia | Spain |
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| 1919 | Basel and Zürich general strike of 1919 | Basel and Zürich | Switzerland |
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| 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 |
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| 1927 | 1927 Austrian General Strike[51] | Vienna |  Austria |
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| 1932 | Geneva general strike of 1932 | Geneva | Switzerland |
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| 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.[52] |
| 1933 | 1933 Ecuadorian general strike[53] | Quito, Riobamba |  Ecuador |
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| 1933 | French general strike of 1933 | Nationwide |  France |
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| 1934 | Portuguese general strike of 1934 | Nationwide |  Portugal |
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| 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 |
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| 1934 | Auto-Lite strike | Toledo, Ohio | United States |
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| 1936 | French general strike of 1936 | Nationwide | France |
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| 1936 | Spanish Revolution of 1936 | Nationwide |  Spain |
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| 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 |
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| 1953 | Ceylonese Hartal of 1953 | Nationwide |  Ceylon |
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| 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[54] | 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[55][56] | Nationwide | Canada |
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| 1976 | March 24 strike | Nationwide |  People's Republic of the Congo |
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| 1978 | Iranian Revolution | Nationwide |  Iran |
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| 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.[57][58] |
| 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.[59] |
| 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[60] | Nationwide |  Morocco |
|
| 1992 | April 1992 general strike in Nepal | Nationwide |  Nepal |
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| 1995 | French general strikes of 1995 | Nationwide | France |
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| 1998 | 1998 Danish general strike[61] | 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 |
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| 2019 | 2019 Hong Kong general strike | Nationwide |  Hong Kong |
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| 2019 | 2019 Indian General Strike[62] | Nationwide | India |
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| 2019 | Sudanese Revolution | Nationwide |  Sudan |
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| 2020 | 2020–2021 Belarusian protests | Nationwide |  Belarus |
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| 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.[63] |
| 2021 | 2021 Myanmar strikes | Nationwide |  Myanmar |
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| 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.[64] |
| 2022 | 2022 Kazakh unrest | Nationwide |  Kazakhstan |
|
| 2024 | 2024 Nigerian general strike | Nationwide |  Nigeria |
General strike due to low minimum wage.[65] |
| 2025 | 2024–2025 Serbian anti-corruption protests | Nationwide |  Serbia |
General strike due to political corruption and the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse[66] |
| 2025 | 2025 Portuguese general strike | Nationwide |  Portugal |
General strike against new labor package demanded by the Democratic Alliance government.[67] |
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