Strikes: From Ancient Egypt to Modern Society — A Reflection on Collective Action and Social Responsibility

The first strike we know of happened in 1157 BCE. Workers at Deir el-Medina, the artisans who were building the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, stopped working after going 18 days without their grain rations. They put down their tools and refused to continue until they were treated fairly. This protest, recorded on pottery shards, shows that even thousands of years ago, workers understood the power of standing together.

In 494 BCE, the plebeians of Rome walked out to the Mons Sacer. Burdened by debt and ignored by the ruling class, they refused to participate in the city’s routine activities until their demands were met. This event, called the secessio plebis, effectively shut down commerce and forced political concessions, laying the groundwork for future labor rights in Western society.

Jumping ahead to 1910, in France, railway workers went on strike in response to government indifference. They slowed shipments, misdirected freight, and caused widespread disruption. This deliberate action inspired the term “sabotage”, from the French word sabot, meaning wooden shoe, reflecting how workers used creative means to make their point.

During the Industrial Revolution, strikes became central to labour struggles. Workers in Britain, France, and the United States demanded fair wages, shorter hours, and safer conditions. Their efforts led to labour unions and laws protecting workers’ rights.

But strikes are never simple. While they give workers a voice, they also affect society at large. This is especially clear in jobs that people rely on every day.

Take the recent 2025 Air Canada flight attendants’ strike. Over 10,000 workers stopped working, grounding thousands of flights and leaving around 500,000 passengers stranded. Their demands for better pay and compensation were legitimate, but the impact on the public was enormous.

Healthcare strikes are even more complicated. Doctors and nurses have the right to push for fair conditions. Still, their absence can delay surgeries, leave hospitals understaffed, and put patients at risk. Balancing the right to protest with the duty (they swore to) to care for others is a constant ethical challenge.

Strikes in essential sectors are more than labour disputes—they are events that ripple through society, affecting far more people than just the workers involved.

Looking at history and today, strikes show the importance of standing up for one’s rights. At the same time, they remind us to think about the bigger picture. If 10,000 Air Canada workers need better conditions, hundreds of thousands of people will feel the consequences. Strikes push for fairness, but they also ask us to weigh our interests against our responsibility to the broader community.