Strike of the 100,000

The Strike of the 100,000 (French: Grève des 100 000) was an 8-day strike in Belgium which took place from 10–18 May 1941 during the German occupation. It was led by Julien Lahaut, head of the Belgian Communist Party (Parti Communiste de Belgique or PCB), even though the Nazi—Soviet Pact was still in force. The object of the strike was to demand a wage increase though it was also an act of passive resistance to the German occupation.

The strike originated at the Cockerill steel works (Cockerill Fonderie) in the industrial town of Seraing, in eastern Belgium, on 10 May 1941. The date significantly marked the first anniversary of the German invasion of Belgium. News spread quickly through the Province of Liège and brought many other workers out on solidarity actions. It also spread into the industrial Province of Hainaut in the west and also to the neighbouring Limburg in Flanders. At its height it is estimated that 70,000 workers were on strike. The actions received widespread coverage in the national underground press of the Belgian Resistance and even achieved limited support from the middle and upper class who had traditionally opposed labour militancy.

In order to end the disruption, the Germans were forced to agree to a substantial wages increase of eight percent. The strike soon finished. It officially ended on 18 May. In the aftermath of the strike, the German authorities worried that a repeat could occur, arrested 400 workers in September 1942 who they believed to be planning a similar action. Further important strikes did, however, take place in Belgium in November 1942 and February 1943.

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