1950 Austrian general strikes

The October strike were strikes in the autumn of 1950 in occupied postwar Austria.

During the negotiations on the Fourth wage-price agreements it came the end of September 1950, a strike movement in the Austrian labor. Was mainly due to persisting even five years after the war, low purchasing power and the poor supply situation. The government and the companies, both private as well as the numerous establishments in state administration wanted to keep wages remained at a low level to use the profits made for investments and thus stimulate the reconstruction, while the workers more purchasing power for a higher consumption demanded.

Flow in Upper Austria

The first strike began on September 25 in Linz, starting from the VÖEST where both Communist councils as well as representatives of the Union of Independents had precipitated together a majority vote for a one-hour warning strike in an operating assembly. The next day, September 26 then started all over Austria strikes, which were directed primarily against the announced price increases for October 1. Overall, because about 120,000 workers took part, of which 40,000 were from the USIA enterprises in the Soviet controlled zone. In Linz attracted about 15,000 protesters on the road to Linz country house and reach there, that a twenty -member delegation of Members of Parliament assured, also take action against the hasty price increases. More strike centers in Upper Austria were the industrial enterprises as well as the post office and railway in Steyr, Gmunden, Puchheim, Lenzing and Nettingsdorf. The reaction of the executive was initially the declaration of the alert level 4 ( alarm state ) and over 1,000 gendarmes were concentrated in Linz.

On 27 September, reinforced the strike movement and especially in Linz all public transport stood still. A large number of workers from the VOEST and the nitrogen works besieged the building of Labour, where the state executive of the Austrian Trade Union Federation met and called in chants of "Down with Schandpakt ". The VdU -led strike committee occupied the Labour building and demanded the resignation of the President of the Chamber of Labour Upper Austria Heinrich Kandl (1875 -1968), the this also expressed under the threat of being thrown from the balcony otherwise. The police and gendarmerie moved with steel helmets and sported bayonet, but tried in vain to penetrate into the building. It was not until the evening dispersed the protesters, the situation and the executive could no resistance take over the Labour building relaxed.

On September 28, initially was confusion as to whether the strike movement on the part of the Soviet occupying power is supported. After the Americans had left their posts, the gendarmerie in Linz occupied, therefore the access to the Nibelungen Bridge to prevent communication with the Soviet zone north of the Danube. The state government, however, spread through the media, that it is " a provocative political machination renegades " were acting on the strikes to. Even the union leadership and the Social Democratic Party distanced itself publicly from the actions and spoke of malfeasance approach.

Then, the situation calmed down in all of Upper Austria and already on 29 September lost the strike movement of support.

The next day, 30 September, organized in Vienna especially communist organized labor representatives a " total Austrian Works Conference" in the Floridsdorfer locomotive factory which delivered an ultimatum to the government and threatened a general strike called by it but did not. The other events shifted to point out to Vienna and in the Soviet occupation zone. In Upper Austria, it was only in Steyr on October 5, again to a major protest rally in which 5,000 workers took part. But the wage-price agreements at this time was already in force.

Flow in Vienna

The strikes, which were mainly organized by the Communist Party had the goal to bring the Austrian Trade Union Federation ( OGB ) with KP- control and to establish a government under communist influence in Austria ( This, despite the CPA little more than 5 percent of the vote could unite on it). The strike, which was aimed as a pretext against the strong price increases due to the currency reform was organized mainly by the works of the former USIA enterprises. Even the Communists in the Western occupation zones covered with. They were supported also by members of the newly formed Union of Independents, a right -wing party, which saw itself as a melting pot of former Nazis and especially among the expellees into the Linz large farms had followers.

According to Viktor Matejka was in the case of a resounding political success of the CPA Josef Dobretsberger, a professor of Graz, be the new Chancellor. But Matejka also stressed that there must have been a communication problem between the Austrian Communist Party and its headquarters in Moscow - the Soviet Union had in fact no real interest in a takeover by the Communist Party in Eastern Austria, the so necessary a full NATO integration of the Western occupation zones according to would have drawn, but then pursued as a goal the neutralization of Austria as a model for West Germany.

On October 4, the strikes were at their peak. Raiding the strikers tried to paralyze public life and occupied streets and squares. Car of the Vienna tram extend were prevented by filling up the tracks and concreting of the points in it. Numerous other strikebreakers were prevented from continuing to work.

One of the key leaders of the termination of the strike was the union at that time head of the Building and Wood Workers, Franz Olah, who had excellent contact with the American occupation forces. Olah mobilized its activists against the strikers. Since the Vienna police was prevented by the Soviet occupying power largely due to take action against the violence of the strikers, the peace and order could be restored only after the intervention of Franz Olah workers squads.

On October 6, finally decided the total Austrian Stewards Conference to cancel the strike.

Bestreikte farms

The workers of the following companies participated in the October strike

• VÖEST in Linz
• Linzer Nitrogen Works (now Agrolinz Melamine International )
• Electricity and Tramway Company in Linz (ESG today: Linz AG)
• Steyr Daimler Puch
• Austrian Federal Railways
• Austrian Post
• Lenzing AG
• Wolfsegg - Traun Thaler coal works AG
• Aluminum plants Ranshofen (now Austria Metall )
• Paper mill Nettingsdorf
• Hut Donawitz ( Voestalpine )
• Waagner Biro in Graz
• Simmering -Graz -Pauker in Graz (now Siemens Mobility )
• Andritz AG in Graz