Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 16 - From Marx to Mao

STRIKE STATISTICS IN RUSSIA407to 127,300,000 rubles in 1905, to 31,200,000 rubles in 1906,to 15,000,000 rubles in 1907, and to 5,800,000 rubles in 1908.In the three years 1905-07, therefore, the drop in outputamounted to 173,500,000 rubles.The losses of the workers in unpaid wages for strike days(determined in accordance with the average daily wages inthe various industries) were as follows:Losses incurred by workers as a resultGroups of indust- Number of factory of strikes (in thousands of rubles)ries (see above workers in 1905p. 18* ) (thousands) 1895-1904 1905 1906 1907 1908totalA 252 650 7,654 891 450 132B 708 715 6,794 1,968 659 228C 277 137 1,997 610 576 69D 454 95 1,096 351 130 22Total 1,691 1,597 17,541 3,820 1,815 451In the three years 1905-07 the losses of the workers amountedto 23,200,000 rubles, or over 14 times more than in theentire preceding decade.** According to the calculationof the compiler of the official statistics, the average loss perworker employed in factories (and not per striker) amounted* See p. 402 of this volume.—Ed.** It should be borne in mind that in the period when the movementwas at its height the workers compelled the employers to coverpart of these losses. Beginning with 1905, the statistics had to dealwith a special cause of strikes (Cause Group 3 b, according to the officialnomenclature): demand of pay for the time of the strike. In 1905there were 632 cases when this demand was presented in 1906—256cases, in 1907—48 cases, and in 1908—9 cases (prior to 1905 thisdemand was never presented). The results of the struggle of the workersfor this demand are known only for the years 1906 and 1907, andonly two or three cases when this was the main demand: in 1906, outof 10,966 workers who struck primarily for this demand: 2,171 wonthe strike, 2,626 lost, and 6,169 concluded a compromise. In 1907,out of 93 workers who struck primarily for this demand, not one wonthe strike, 52 lost, and 41 compromised. From what we know of thestrikes in 1905 we may surmise that in that year the strikes for thisdemand were more successful than in 1906.