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The Belgian General Strike
Brinton, Maurice
http://www.connexions.org/CxArchive/MIA/brinton/1961/01/belgian-strike.htmhttp://www.marxists.org/archive/brinton/1961/01/belgian-strike.htm Year Published: 1961 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX10573 The strike of 1960-61 was the culmination of a growing movement of social protest that had been building up over many years. The economic situation of Belgium had been slowly deteriorating. The last and most drastic attempt to improve it, at the expense of the working class, was the introduction of the loi unique, which cut into workers' purchasing power and threatened their conditions of work. On December 14, 1960, a one-day demonstration was called by the Socialist Party and the trade unions to protest against this law. It met with tremendous success. On December 20, the day the debate on the law began in Parliament, the municipal workers came out on official, nationwide, strike. While most of the other unions were discussing what to do next, a spontaneous movement of unparalleled extent swept the country like a tidal wave. Subject Headings |