3-098-976 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

A workers' strike in Vizcaya, 1892. The intense industrialization of Bilbao led to numerous strikes. The strike that began on May 13, 1890, sparked by the dismissal of five workers from the La Orconera company for their participation in organizing Labour Day on May 1st, marked the beginning of labour unrest in the city. Further strikes in the following years spurred the organization of workers in Biscay and contributed to the rise of the Socialist Party, which played a leading role in the movement. Here we see workers amid steam, smoke, and fire, rallying round a speaker in the blast furnaces. His dark silhouette against the light background is surrounded by the raised arms of his companions. The placement of the three figures with their backs turned, so that we cannot see their individual features, highlights the workers' collective spirit of unity.