Daily briefings of On This Day people's history anniversaries every day of the year. From the Working Class History team.
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20 September 1979: Aotearoa/New Zealand general strike
On this day, 20 September 1979, Aotearoa's (New Zealand's) only nationwide general strike took place when the Federation of Labour called a one-day strike of all its members in support of the Drivers Union. 300,000 people took to the streets around the country after a pay agreement between transport workers and employers was blocked by the government. The government claimed that the strike had no impact, but they agreed to refer the dispute to the Arbitration Court, which upheld the original wage agreement as demanded by the strikers.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9334/new-zealand-general-strike
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8 Aug 2026
8 August 1883: MSG strike benefit
On this day, 8 August 1883, over 3,000 people attended a benefit ball and concert for striking telegraphers in New York's Madison Square Garden. A procession of 800 striking workers, mostly employees of Western Union fighting for equal pay for men and women and an eight-hour day, were led into the ballroom by John Mitchell and Minnie Swan, who had emerged as key organisers of the strike in the city. They were serenaded by local regimental bands who had volunteered to play. The strike was later defeated, although Mitchell and Swan became romantically involved during the dispute and were subsequently married.
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon (https://patreon.com/workingclasshistory). If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory (https://patreon.com/workingclasshistory).
See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today (https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today)
Browse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date (https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date)
Check out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.com (https://map.workingclasshistory.com)
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If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History (https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast)
25 Jul 2026
25 July 2011: Cambrew promoters strike
On this day, 25 July 2011, 34 women workers, who promoted Angkor beer for Cambrew (a corporation partly owned by Carlsberg), went on strike demanding the payment of unpaid overtime and demonstrated in front of the company headquarters.
Other Cambodian unions threatened to boycott Angkor beer, and some bars in the city stopped serving it during the dispute. One bar owner explained they wished to show support as "beer girls are among the most exploited workers in Cambodia".
The workers agreed to suspend their strike on 4 August after the Phnom Penh deputy governor agreed to mediate between them and the company. A few days later Cambrew agreed to start obeying labour laws on overtime pay, and back pay three years of overtime payments it owed.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9752/cambrew-promoters-strike
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon (https://patreon.com/workingclasshistory). If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory (https://patreon.com/workingclasshistory).
See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today (https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today)
Browse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date (https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date)
Check out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.com (https://map.workingclasshistory.com)
Check out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com (https://shop.workingclasshistory.com)
If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History (https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast)
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463,329
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4.7 / 5
14 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
34 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
81
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
90
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