The Great Strike Wave (1984–1986) was a period of intense industrial unrest and labor militancy in the Divine Republic of Kresimiria. Triggered by the ratification of the 1983 Workers Rights Act, which legalized trade unions and the right to strike, the wave saw tens of thousands of workers across the industrial north and east walk off the job.
The strikes were primarily directed against the rising power of private conglomerates, such as Maj Holdings and SeverMin, which had begun acquiring former state assets during the early 1980s. The economic disruption caused by the unrest provided the political capital for Blue Dawn leader Ljubo Sanjakorin to dismantle the private industrial sector and implement the 1988 State Enterprise Act, renationalizing key industries under the “Statist-Labor” economic model.
Background
Legalization of Labor
Prior to 1983, labor strikes were constitutionally prohibited in Kresimiria under Article 42, which banned “unauthorized gatherings that disrupt the public peace”. Workers who attempted to organize were frequently arrested for sedition by the Council for Internal Affairs (CIA).
In 1982, the former trade unionist Ljubo Sanjakorin was elected leader of the ruling Blue Dawn party. Having risen through the ranks of the SZNO (Stalnija-Zelezhna Novi Otonik) union, Sanjakorin championed the 1983 Workers Rights Act, a constitutional amendment that formally legalized trade unions and established the “Right to Withdraw Labor”.
The Private Sector Threat
The strikes occurred against the backdrop of a rapidly changing economy. In the early 1980s, private businessman Bran Maj began aggressively acquiring aging steel and ironworks in Novi Otonik and Cetingrad. Maj’s attempts to modernize these plants involved cutting labor costs and reducing workforce numbers, leading to immediate friction with the newly legalized unions. Simultaneously, in the northern district of Severnivaraje, the mining giant SeverMin faced criticism for its abysmal safety record and the prevalence of “Black Dust” respiratory disease among its workforce.
The Strikes (1984–1986)
The Battle of Novi Otonik
The epicenter of the unrest was Novi Otonik, the industrial capital of District II. Following the passage of the 1983 Act, the SZNO union launched a series of aggressive strikes against Maj Steel plants. Workers demanded higher wages, job security against modernization layoffs, and the enforcement of the 1976 Industrial Safety Standards Act.
The conflict in Novi Otonik was characterized by its bitterness. Maj Holdings employed private security to protect its assets, leading to standoffs at factory gates. While the Civil Order Force (COF) was deployed to maintain order, Sanjakorin’s government often allowed the strikes to continue, using the unrest to weaken the political influence of Bran Maj.
The Northern Front
In the north, the unrest was driven by the Northern Power party and its affiliated unions. In Bistrica, SeverMin miners launched wildcat strikes demanding better ventilation equipment and compensation for health damages. Unlike the organized political strikes in the east, the northern strikes were often desperate measures driven by economic survival, with miners frequently crushed by SeverMin’s private security or forced back to work by poverty.
Role of the State
The Kresimirian state played a dual role during the crisis.
- The Civil Order Force: The COF was frequently deployed to quell riots and secure government buildings, acting as the primary tool of state control.
- Political Calculation: However, the central government under Sanjakorin did not intervene to break the strikes on behalf of private owners. Instead, Sanjakorin allowed the economic disruption to demonstrate that the private sector was incapable of managing strategic industries efficiently.
Aftermath and Legacy
The State Enterprise Act
The Great Strike Wave effectively paralyzed the private industrial sector. By 1987, production in the steel and energy sectors had plummeted due to the stoppages. Ljubo Sanjakorin used this crisis to argue that private ownership of strategic assets was a threat to national stability.
This political climate allowed for the passage of the 1988 State Enterprise Act. This constitutional amendment authorized the Council for Development to nationalize failing industries. Following the Act, the state seized control of the railways to form Republic Rail, created National Energy, and nationalized the automaker Krasja (then KKA) to save jobs.
Political Impact
The strikes solidified the “Statist-Labor” coalition that kept Blue Dawn in power for two decades. By nationalizing the industries that had been the site of the unrest, the state effectively absorbed the labor movement; unions like SZNO became partners of the government rather than antagonists.
However, the period also deepened the animosity between the state and the private sector, particularly Maj Holdings, setting the stage for the decades-long “Cold War” between Bran Maj and the Sinj establishment. The era is remembered by labor activists as a time of heroic resistance, while economic liberals in the Civic Renewal Front cite it as the period when Kresimiria abandoned market economics for inefficient statism.