Big strike of miners in year 1923

Trbovlje mine
Trbovlje mine

On April 26th 1923 negotiations were conducted between miners and Trbovlje coal company, for improving life conditions of miners, but at the end there was no success. Miners showed their dissatisfaction with a strike, which started on July 20th 1923 in Hrastnik, the next day it also spread in Trbovlje and Zagorje. Strike, which was run by communists, lasted until September 17th 1923. Meetings were at that time forbidden, so the strike committee tried to influence on the strikers with illegal flyers. In time of the strike there was also an attempt to assassinate the director of Hrastnik mine, Drolc. The bomb was planted, but Drolc was unharmed. After WWII in year 1945 they found out who planted the bomb, it was Avgust Coklin, who was employed in mine Hrastnik. Bombs were also planted to directors of mines Trbovlje and Zagorje.

With the strike not even socialdemocrats, not even nacionalists and clericalists were satisfied, but they took part due to solidarity. Because of the disunity of the strike in public disapproval of all bourgeois parties, despite communist effort, to successfully finish the strike, all started to fall apart. After 59 days united reaction reached the collapse of the strike, towards what aided was hunger in families of striking miners. They arrested most visible revolutionaries, among the all informants, who after the strike went abroad. For the working movement, mostly in Hrastnik, this represented a terrible blow. Therefore at home only revolutionary youth remained, which continued class political struggle and unified in frame of Vesna society.

In the middle of the year 1923 all working progressive organisations were disbanded, communists wanted to establish others (Independent working party), as they were aware, that without illegal organisations mass movement would be impossible. March 22nd 1925, on the congress in Celje, Association of miners of Yugoslavia was established, so it could reach solidarity and power in struggle for miner’s rights.

 

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