ABSTRACT
On 1 June 1936, there began in Madrid the fourth and longest construction strike during the Republic, involving 80,000 workers. Those in heating, elevators and sanitation had already been on strike for a few weeks and the brewing, ice and soft-drinks workers had been idle for some days. In the very important union of waiters, great confusion reigned, for while the Sindicato Unico de la Industria Gastronómica (CNT) had given the order for a general strike on 21 May, the Agrupación General de Camareros (UGT) gave the order to go to work. When the construction workers had already been on strike for two weeks, the 6000 furniture workers and all 1500 tailoring workers also came out. In addition to the multitude of workers from small and middle-sized businesses, the strikers were also to be joined by the workers of Euskalduna, the glovers, the leather-workers, and the women from the factories of Gal and Floralia. Madrid, in the months of May and June 1936, was really on strike. 1
