Timeline of strikes in 2001

A number of labour strikes, labour disputes, and other industrial actions occurred in 2001.

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.

Timeline

Continuing strikes from 2000

• 1999–2001 Domino Sugar Refinery strike, 20-month strike by Domino Sugar Refinery workers in the United States. ^{[1] [2]}
• 2000–03 prisoners' hunger strike in Turkey ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}
• 2000–01 Seattle newspaper strike ^{[7] [8]}
• Ukraine without Kuchma

January

• 2001 Danone crisis, crisis at French food group Danone, including strikes. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

March

• 2001 Comair strike, 3-month by Comair pilots in the United States. ^{[12] [13]}

April

• April 2001 Bangladesh general strikes, series of general strikes called by the opposition in Bangladesh demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. ^{[14] [15] [16]}
• 2001 Hawaiian teachers' strike ^{[17] [18]}
• Jeffboat workers' wildcat strike of 2001 ^[19]
• 2001 Vancouver transit strike, 123-day strike by transit workers in Vancouver, Canada. ^{[20] [21]}

May

• 2001 Chennai port strike, 17-day strike by port workers in Chennai. ^[22]
• 2001 Engen strike, strike by Engen Petroleum workers in South Africa. ^{[23] [24] [25]}
• 2001 National Gallery of Canada strike, 2-month strike by National Gallery of Canada admin workers. ^[26]

June

• 2001 Manipur general strike, general strike in Manipur against the Indian government's decision to extend a ceasefire with the separatist National Socialist Council of Nagaland to the state. ^{[27] [28] [29]}
• 2001 University of Washington strike, strike by University of Washington teaching assistants, the first TA strike in the university's history. ^{[30] [31]}

July

• July 2001 Zimbabwe general strike, 2-day general strike in Zimbabwe organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions over increases in fuel prices. ^{[32] [33]}
• 2001 sex strike for running water

August

• August 2001 South African general strike, 2-day general strike organised by the Congress of South African Trade Unions against privatisation of government-owned companies. ^{[34] [35]}
• 2001 Volkswagen Mexico strike ^{[36] [37]}

September

• 2001 ShopRite strike, 7-week strike by ShopRite workers in New Jersey, the United States. ^{[38] [39]}

October

• Minnesota public sector strike ^{[40] [41]}
• 2001 Mozal strike, strike by aluminium workers at Mozal in Mozambique. ^{[42] [43]}

November

• 2001 Israeli lecturers' strike, 1-month strike by university lecturers in Israel. ^{[44] [45]}
• 2001 Middletown teachers' strike, strike by Middletown Township Public School District teachers in the United States; resulting in one of the largest mass arrests of teachers in the US in several decades. ^{[46] [47]}

December

• 2001 OHSU strike, 56-day strike by Oregon Health & Science University nurses. ^{[48] [49]}

Statistics

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "measures of work stoppage idleness - the number of days idle and percent of estimated working time lost because of strikes and lockouts - reached historic lows in 2001" in the United States, with 29 major work stoppages being recorded in the USA that year. ^[50]

References

1. Rubin, Richard (7 September 1999). "Bitter Battle at Domino Sugar". The Village Voice . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
2. Greenhouse, Steven (27 February 2001). "Bitter Strike At Domino Finally Ends". The New York Times . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
3. "The F-type Prison Crisis and the Repression of human rights defenders in Turkey". EuroMed Rights. 1 October 2001. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
4. Green, Penny (1 January 2002). "Turkish jails, hunger strikes and the European drive for prison reform". Punishment & Society. 4: 97–101. doi:10.1177/14624740222228482 . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
5. Paker, Murat (29 December 2000). "Turkey's Operation "Return to Life"". Middle East Research and Information Project. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
6. Anderson, Patrik (24 November 2006). "'To lie down to death for days': The Turkish hunger strike, 2000–2003". Cultural Studies. doi:10.1080/0950238042000306882 . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
7. "One of Seattle's Newspaper Strikes Is Settled". The New York Times. 29 December 2000. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
8. Howe Verhovek, Sam (8 December 2000). "The News of Seattle? There's a Newspaper Strike". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
9. Lemaître, Frédéric (12 January 2001). "Les suppressions d´emplois chez Danone provoquent des grèves sur plusieurs sites". Le Monde . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
10. "LE BOYCOTT DE DANONE S'ELARGIT". L'Humanité. 12 April 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
11. Sauviat, Catherine (27 April 2001). "Globalisation blamed for restructuring at Danone and Marks & Spencer". European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
12. "Comair pilots walk out". CNN. 26 March 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
13. "Comair Pilots End Strike". Wired. 22 June 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
14. "Anti-Government Strike Turns Violent in Bangladesh". The Los Angeles Times . 2 April 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
15. "Bangladesh strike goes on". BBC News. 11 April 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
16. "Has the strike really ended?". Today. 12 April 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
17. Essoyan, Susan (25 April 2001). "Hawaii Teachers, State Settle 20-Day Strike". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
18. Wong, Alia (6 July 2011). "Report Card on a Teachers Strike: Lessons From 2001". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
19. "The Jeffboat Workers Wildcat Strike of 2001". IWW. 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
20. Pawson, Chad (11 October 2019). "Metro Vancouver's last transit strike lasted a record-breaking 123 days". CBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
21. Bowen, Dana (12 December 2019). "A Brief History of Metro Vancouver's Crazy 123-Day Transit Strike In 2001". 604 Now. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
22. "Chennai port workers end 17-day strike". The Business Times . 25 May 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
23. "The 2001 strike of workers at Engen - the South African affiliate of the oil multinational Exxon". LibCom. 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
24. D'Sa, Desmond (16 March 2010). "Fatima Meer, 1928-2010: `Regardless of how many years we have spent in this life, we must get up and shout'". Links. Retrieved 3 June 2025. In 2001 the strike by over 3000 casual workers at the ENGEN Refinery the workers were arrested, locked up, interdicted and falsely accused by the management and the SAPS at Wentworth. Activists were interdicted and arrested as well as they sort to assist the workers who were dismissed and black listed. It was to people like comrade Fatima that we turned to for assistance, whether this moral support , bail money etc.
25. "Strike closes Engen refinery". News24. 22 May 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
26. Honey, Kim (12 July 2001). "National Gallery workers reach deal to end strike". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
27. "Curfew imposed after Manipur clashes". CNN. 18 June 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
28. "Manipur Assessment - Year 2001". South Asia Terrorism Portal. 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
29. Roy, Esha (3 December 2020). "2001 Manipur uprising: CBI says CRPF not to blame for 14 deaths, files closure report". The Indian Express. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
30. "First-ever TA strike hits UW campus". University of Washington Magazine. 1 September 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
31. "Teaching aides strike at U. of Washington". Deseret News. 2 June 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
32. "Zimbabwean trade unions begin "illegal" strike". RTÉ. 3 July 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
33. "Zimbabwe strike tensions rise". CNN. 4 July 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
34. Hennop, Jan (29 August 2001). "National strike set to freeze services". Mail & Guardian . Retrieved 3 June 2025.
35. "South Africa Strike Ends". The New York Times . 31 August 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
36. Kraul, Chris (9 September 2001). "Mexico's Unions Gain Muscle With VW Strike". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
37. Gori, Graham (6 September 2001). "Strike at VW in Mexico Ends Unusually". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
38. Chalmers, George (8 October 2001). "Workers strike ShopRite in New Jersey". The Militant. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
39. "BRIEFING: BUSINESS; SUPERMARKET STRIKE ENDS". The New York Times . 4 November 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
40. Fiske, Tom (15 October 2001). "State workers walk out in Minnesota". The Militant. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
41. Weinhold, Anja (18 November 2001). "Minnesota Public Employees Win the Largest Strike in State History". Labor Notes. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
42. "Strike at Moz aluminium plant". News24. 3 October 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
43. "Aluminium strike ends in Mozambique". BBC News. 23 October 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
44. Sa'ar, Relly (4 November 2001). "Senior University Lecturers Begin Strike Over Wage Demands". Haaretz . Retrieved 3 June 2025.
45. "News Brief". Jewish Telegraphic Agency . 30 November 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
46. Archer, Jeff (12 December 2001). "End of Strike Opens Jail Cells For N.J. Teachers". Education Week. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
47. Jacobs, Andrew (9 December 2001). "United They Stood, Briefly; A Town That Came Together in Grief Is Divided by a Strike". The New York Times . Retrieved 3 June 2025.
48. "OHSU Strike…10 Years Later". Oregon Nurses Association. 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
49. "Governor has role in settlement of OHSU nurse's strike". NW Labor Press. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
50. Foster, Ann C. (30 January 2003). "2001 Major Work Stoppages" (PDF). Bureau of Labor Statistics . Retrieved 3 June 2025.