List of strikes in Ireland

Throughout Irish history, a number of strikes, labour disputes, student strikes, hunger strikes, and other industrial actions have occurred.

Background

A labour strike is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. This can include wildcat strikes, which are done without union authorisation, and slowdown strikes, where workers reduce their productivity while still carrying out minimal working duties. It is usually a response to employee grievances, such as low pay or poor working conditions. Strikes can also occur to demonstrate solidarity with workers in other workplaces or pressure governments to change policies.

20th century

1900s

• 1907 Belfast Dock strike

1910s

• Dublin lock-out
• 1913 Sligo Dock strike
• Conscription Crisis of 1918, including strikes, against the imposition of conscription by the British government, part of the Irish revolutionary period.

1920s

• 1920 Munitions Strike, by railway workers refusing to transport British munitions, part of the Irish revolutionary period. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• 1922 Irish postal strike, the first strike in the newly-formed Irish Free State. ^{[4] [5]}

1930s

• 1932 Outdoor Relief strike, in Belfast. ^{[6] [7]}

1940s

• 1945 Irish laundry strike, 13-week strike by women laundry workers for additional holidays. ^{[8] [9]}

1950s

• 1950–51 Irish rail strike ^[10]

1960s

• Irish bank strikes (1966–1976)
• 1966–67 Irish farmers' protests, led by the Irish Farmers' Association. ^{[11] [12]}
• 1969 Irish maintenance workers' strike, strike by ESB Group maintenance workers. ^{[13] [14]}

1970s

• 1974 Dublin bus strike, 9-week strike by bus drivers in Dublin. ^{[15] [16]}
• Ulster Workers' Council strike
• 1979 Irish postal strike ^{[17] [18]}

1980s

• Dunnes Stores strike

1990s

• 1994 Dublin bar staff strike, 3-day strike by pub and bar staff in Dublin, coinciding with the 1994 FIFA World Cup. ^{[19] [20]}
• 1999 Irish nurses' strike ^{[21] [22]}

21st century

2000s

• 2007–2008 Cork players' strike
• 2008–2009 Cork senior hurling team strike

2010s

• Vita Cortex sit-in

2020s

• 2024 Aer Lingus strike. ^[23]
• 2024 Northern Ireland public sector strike, involving 150 000 public sector workers, the largest strike in Northern Ireland in over 50 years. ^{[24] [25]}

References

1. O'Keeffe, Helene (21 May 2020). "The 1920 Munitions Strike: "An unusual kind of strike"". RTÉ. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
2. White, Alex (13 December 2020). "Off the rails – An Irishman's Diary on the 1920 munitions strike". The Irish Times . Retrieved 27 October 2024.
3. Ó Drisceoil, Donal (2 July 2024). "The Railway Workers' Munitions Strike of 1920". The Irish Revolution Project. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
4. Brennan, Cathal (23 January 2018). "The postal strike of 1922". LibCom. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
5. Hanley, Gerard (7 June 2022). "They 'never dared say "boo" while the British were here': the postal strike of 1922 and the Irish Civil War". Irish Historical Studies. 46 (169): 119–135. doi: 10.1017/ihs.2022.6 . Retrieved 27 October 2024.
6. "Dramatic story of 1932 strike when Belfast workers fought as one". The Irish News. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
7. "1932: Belfast Outdoor Relief Strike". LibCom. 10 September 2006. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
8. "The 1945 Laundry Strike". Irish Women Workers' Union . 1 March 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
9. "Blue Rinse and Starch - 1945 Laundress Strike". RTÉ. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
10. "Rail Strike in Ireland Ended". The New York Times. 29 January 1951. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
11. "Farmers were jailed this week 50 years ago for protesting over poor incomes". The Irish Independent. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
12. Downes, Martin (9 May 1972). "Fifty Years A-Growing". RTÉ. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
13. "Through the decades (1964-1969)". Business & Finance . 30 January 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
14. ""We Have No Source of Income At All"". RTÉ. 1969. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
15. Sweeney, Pat (8 October 1974). "Dublin Bus Strike Causes 40% Drop in Retail Sales". RTÉ. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
16. "1974 - the year when". The Irish Independent. 3 January 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
17. Collins, Stephen (8 November 2014). "Haughey settled bill for 1979 postal strikers' food and drink". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
18. ""A Small Group of Workers Rushed Headlong at the Gardaí"". RTÉ. 1979. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
19. "Pub Pickets For World Cup". RTÉ. 18 June 1994. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
20. "Business as usual..hic!". The Straits Times. 23 June 1994. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
21. Brown, Gary D. (3 October 2006). "The 1999 Irish nurses' strike: nursing versions of the strike and self-identity in a general hospital". Journal of Advanced Nursing .{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
22. Sheehan, Brian (27 October 1999). "Ireland's first national nursing strike is a test of strength". European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions . Retrieved 27 October 2024.
23. "Aer Lingus pilots vote to accept pay deal". BBC News. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
24. Cullinane, Niall (19 January 2024). "Why 150,000 public sector workers in Northern Ireland have been on strike". The Conversation. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
25. "Northern Ireland sees biggest strike in years as workers walk out over pay and political deadlock". AP News. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.