workingclasshistory:

On this day, 5 March 1943, a strike broke out at the Fiat Mirafiori plant in Turin, fascist Italy, when a handful of workers walked out at 10 AM on Friday. Over the weekend, the strike call spread through working class districts of the city, and by Monday rail workers and other factory workers joined the action, some by working to rule. Within a week, 100,000 workers were out, with various different demands in addition to a general demand for a war bonus payment. Authorities arrested 850 workers, but were unable to break the strike and were forced to concede most of the workers’ demands. In the wake of the dispute, resistance to fascism escalated, and the protest contributed to the popularity of armed resistance later that year. https://ift.tt/2TjXMQE