The 1922 Guayaquil general strike was a three-day general work stoppage in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, which lasted from 13 to 15 November of that year. The strike began with trolley, electric company and other public utility workers who were inspired by a successful strike by railroad workers in nearby Durán. Workers made demands such as pay increases, shorter hours, safer working conditions, and government control of foreign currency exchange rates.

The government of Ecuador called on the military to suppress the strike. On 15 November, police and military killed at least 300 strikers. Most workers returned to their jobs shortly afterwards. The trolley workers continued their strike until 21 November, when most of their demands were met.

In the early 1920s, Ecuador suffered an economic crisis due to a drop in the global price of the cocoa bean, which at the time was the main export of the country. Guayaquil had experienced rapid economic growth in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century due to its location in the Guayas River basin—a region with near-ideal conditions for growing cocoa. At the beginning of the twentieth century, cocoa accounted for 75% of the country's total exports.

Following World War I, the price of the cocoa bean fell as countries such as Ghana, São Tomé, and Brazil began growing the crop. As cocoa sales declined, a lack of foreign currency in Ecuador led to severe inflation. In 1914, the Ecuadorian government passed the "Ley Moratoria," which froze exchange rates and allowed banks to issue currency not backed by gold or silver. This worsened the country's inflation, which was most felt by the working class. By 1922, the country had entered a state of public unrest.

On 19 October 1922, Guayaquil and Quito Railway Company workers began a strike. The workers—based in the town of Durán, across the river from Guayaquil–made relatively modest demands such as the payment of wages on time, the establishment of medical auxiliary posts, payment in United States dollars or gold rather than the sucre, fifteen days notice before lay-offs and the re-hiring of fired union organizers. The railroad company quickly negotiated an end to the strike, granting most of the workers' demands. The company planned to offset increased wages by raising fares on the trains, but rate hikes were cancelled by president José Luis Tamayo.

Workers in Guayaquil took note of the successes of the railway workers in Durán. Trolley, electric company and other public utility workers met in early November and came up with a list of demands including pay increases, an eight-hour workday, overtime pay, and compliance with safety regulations. When the demands were rejected, the workers struck.

The strike gained momentum as factories in the city were unable to operate due to lack of electricity. As negotiations neared completion, the strikers made new demands, such as artificial exchange rate controls by the government in order to prop of the value of the sucre. By 13 November, the strike had grown into a citywide general strike.

Massacre

On 15 November, the government came to an agreement with union leaders on the exchange rate. That same day, a crowd of 20,000 people–the largest demonstration of the strike yet–assembled in downtown Guayaquil. Upon hearing that two labor leaders who had been jailed were to be released, the crowd marched to the police station. When the demonstrators arrived at the police station, soldiers began firing into the crowd.

The crowd began to flee, and were pursued by the troops. Many of the demonstrators were shot to death or stabbed by bayonets. Order was restored at around 6 pm. At least three hundred people had been killed, although the precise number is unknown. No soldiers or police were killed, although several were injured.

The general strike ended shortly after the massacre of 15 November. The following day, president Tamayo signaled that he would sign the exchange rate moratorium that had been demanded by the strikers. Most workers returned to their jobs, but the trolley workers continued their strike. On 21 November, the trolley worker strike was finally resolved, with the trolley workers receiving pay raises, shorter hours, and other demands. However, the trolley company would also increase fares.

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  • LoudMuffin [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    I think it's also just growing up. Like goddamn these people b racist.....

    Like I have so many interactions that leave me wondering if it would have gone differently if I were white, like you get treated like a child or kind of talked to in a way that seems like they think you're slow or whatever and it's only worse for the people I've seen who have accents.

    I remember going to ask this one mechanic who specialized in domestic vehicles if he could program this key fob because I found out my car had the functionality for it and I get there and it's this dude head to toe with stars and stripes, like his mechanic jumpsuit has custom red white and blue embroidery and so does his hat and he's talking to another customer who is white and he's super chill and he gets to talking to me and the whole time he is trying super hard to steer the conversation and putting words in my mouth to the point where at one point I got pissed (which I don't show, I am very calm with combative people because I come from a dysfunctional family) and was like "I didn't say that." and he kinda shot me a dirty look before he said he couldn't help me and I was just like bruh.

    It's just so many little things like that make me realize they do not respect us in even the slightest, and it's also one of the reasons I wish I could stick to my reading schedule more because I want to be well read enough to clown on all of these fucking shitheads.

    Even my chuddy older brother is starting to realize what I have, he got a tech job and he was telling me (which I found shocking because he spouts clearn Wehrmacht shit all the time) that he only talks to the Asians at work because "all white people are racist". Like he told me he was in a room and a supervisor from another department walked in to ask something and my older brother was training a new guy (who is white, and it's literally his first day) and the supervisor looks at the two individually and then just ignores my bro and ask the white guy for help and the guy is just like, "ask him, I'm new"

    It's one of the reasons I'm extremely nervous about becoming a software engineer because I'm a big, hairy burly dark ass dude and like....there's only gonna be me. It's a fucking pain in the ass, sometimes I wish I had been born in Mexico because I didn't chose to be here, but at least I have enough connection to my heritage that I could eventually go there and get used to it. Black Americans are F U C K E D. They can't go back to Africa, and I think what has been done to them is honestly just genocide without the killing. The same thing is happening to Latin American immigrants, they just see us as berry pickers, maids and gardeners and their children just have let go of their culture and disappear in shame into the blob that is this twisted shithole of a country but you can't fucking do that because your skin color brands you for life so now you're just FUCKED

    • CopsDyingIsGood [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Man this is so frustrating and enraging to read i dont even know what to say. The situation is completely fucked and it's not gonna change any time soon :sadness-abysmal: