21 July 1929

White Zinc Mill Maastricht on Strike

Two prolonged, grim labour conflicts marked 1929 in the Netherlands. The strike of agricultural labourers in northern Groningen is the best known. On 21 July, in chemical industry of Limburg, a strike started at the white zinc mill in Maastricht. It would last for 98 days. The strike began at the close of the night shift, when workers stopped working a few minutes early and were fired. As a result, the socialist trade union demanded that management acknowledge it. The struggle was further aggravated by a conflict of interests between the socialist and Catholic unions. Among the Catholics there were strikebreakers who stayed overnight in the mill to avoid the wrath of the socialists. In the course of various skirmishes many people were wounded and two were killed, including a police officer.

See also:

•  Biography Caspar Hubertus Pieters (in Dutch)
•  Database Dutch strikes (in Dutch)

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