Krenholm Strike of 1872

a strike by workers in the Krenholm cotton spinnery of the Krenholm Manufactory in Narva.

As many as 5,000 Estonian and Russian workers were employed in the enterprise at the time. Working conditions were extremely bad. On August 14 about 500 weavers stopped work. Their delegates, led by the workers V. Preisman and J. Tamm, announced that their demands included the reduction of the working day by one hour, reduction in fines, and provision of time for school attendance to minors employed at the factory. The spinners on August 21 also stated their demands. The administration made partial concessions—the working day was curtailed by 30 minutes, and the policy of deducting money for the hospital and church was abolished. However, when work resumed, these concessions were reduced to naught. The active participants in the strike were arrested and several were fired.

On September 11 all the workers went on strike. The strikers occupied the approaches to the factory, they liberated those arrested, and they threw stones at arriving troops. On September 12 troops succeeded in quelling the opposition of the unarmed workers. On September 18 and 19 work at the factory was resumed. Sentences were given to 27 men, and 405 were fired. The strike revealed and strengthened the solidarity of the Estonian and Russian workers. The Krenholm strike was the first mass action of the workers in Estonia and one of the biggest strikes of the 1870’s in Russia.