Challenging the Arbitration Act: The Construction Workers’ Dispute

The arbitration act was the first test of the new laws. Thousands of citizens openly defied the law by raising funds for workers who were engaged in an illegal strike. The police and prosecutors reacted promptly by raiding newspaper offices and issuing fines by the hundreds. Hundreds of cases were brought to the courts where people were sentenced for their defiance. The conflict was brought to an end after a settlement in the Labor Court, where the President took the unusual step to facilitate a settlement instead of declaring the action illegal. This in effect ensured a victory for the workers and the demise of the arbitration act. Soon after the legislators admitted that the law went to far, and issued an amnesty for all who had been convicted.