Vic Bishop Condemned 1855 General Strike as Workers Faced Repression

In July 1855, Bishop Antoni Palau of Vic issued a pastoral letter condemning Catalonia's first general strike, urging workers to return to factories amidst widespread unrest. This historical document, recently translated from Spanish, sheds light on the Church's opposition to organised labour during a period of intense industrial conflict in the region.

The strike, which began on 2 July 1855, followed the execution of labour leader Josep Barceló on 6 June. Bishop Palau's letter, addressed to "manufacturers and workers of our diocese," expressed deep concern over the "continuous alarm, mutual distrust, [and] profound discord" between factory owners and labourers, attributing the strife to the "unfortunate factory question."

Bishop Palau's Stance on Labour Unrest

Palau's pastoral letter acknowledged the prosperity brought by manufacturing and industry to many towns in the diocese, where "capitalists increased their fortunes, and workers, with the honest labour of their hands, decently supported and brought bread and comfort to their families." However, he questioned the causes that had "interrupted this prosperous and powerful march," noting that "rivalry and discord" threatened to destroy manufacturers' fortunes and leave workers in misery.

Addressing the workers directly, Palau referred to them as "the most beloved part of our flock" due to their poverty. He questioned their objectives, asking, "What do you propose with your proud attitude? Where are you going with your demands? What do you intend by abandoning work and forcing manufacturers to close workshops?"

While admitting incompetence to judge the fairness of their demands, Palau warned that the strike would likely produce the opposite effect of what workers intended. He argued that if demands scared manufacturers, led to capital withdrawal, and caused workshops to close, the flourishing Catalan industry would die. "Manufacturers will certainly not increase their fortune; they will not become richer than they are now; perhaps many will be ruined; but, will your situation improve?" he asked.

Palau predicted that workers would earn nothing, eventually selling their possessions and begging for food, ultimately dying "of starvation and misery with your wives and children." He suggested that those advising the workers might have a political agenda "totally alien to the sentiments that animate you."

He urged workers to "return to work, to the workshops, where you can earn your families' bread with the honest labour of your hands." He added that if they faced privations, "religion teaches us resignation and suffering; religion consoles us by promising us more abundant happiness for a future the greater the current privations have been."

Repression and Workers' Demands

Following the strike, between 5 and 8 July 1855, authorities began arresting workers, transporting about seventy to overseas prisons aboard the frigate Julia. On 2 August 1855, General Zapatero, Captain General of Catalonia, militarily occupied Barcelona to purge the "National Militia." Joan Nogués, a workers' advisor, was imprisoned, and a group of workers were arrested in Barcelona's Carrer de la Cendra.

In April 1856, textile workers' associations presented a petition to the Spanish Constituent Assembly, detailing their grievances. They described a state of constant insecurity, fearing imprisonment or confinement without cause. "How can they be calm, if they are continually exposed to being victims of slander?" the petition asked. They recounted instances where workers were arrested, subjected to courts-martial, and imprisoned, often without compensation even when found innocent.

The workers highlighted a perceived inequality before the law, stating, "equality before the law is enshrined in the political code, but the working class seems to be considered an exception to this rule." They cited cases where manufacturers slandered workers, and young, inexperienced witnesses were used to fabricate charges, only to recant their statements later. Despite this, honest leaders like Tomàs Cerdà, a spinner, faced condemnation and confinement.

"If things are like this, where is individual security? Where is justice? Is there or is there not for our class?" the petition questioned. They threatened to seek asylum in "a more hospitable land" if their personal security was denied. The workers identified the true motive behind their detractors' actions as "association," stating, "our crime is nothing but being associated, of having provided ourselves with an honest means to face our needs the day we are out of work."

The petition concluded by respectfully requesting that the congress adopt an urgent resolution to prevent the "undue vexation of associated working classes" and issue appropriate orders.