Early capitalist development in Norway was dominated by paternalism. The companies were owned by masters—patriarchs—with a personal relationship to their company and to the workers. The patriarch took care of his workers, but did not accept any involvement in their right to govern the company. Hans Hoelstad was such a patriarch, ruling a small ?empire’ in ?s, outside Oslo. The brickworks were the jewel in the crown. The workers in Norwegian brickworks were poorly organised, and the business was characterised by poor working conditions. The conditions were probably even worse at Holstad than elsewhere. In the 1920s the Building Workers Union successfully campaigned for an improvement in conditions at the brickworks, but the workers at Holstad didn’t unionise until May 1929. However, they then went on strike almost immediately, the goal of which was a collective agreement. The strike was tough and bitter. Holstad retaliated by expelling workers from the company’s houses. The brickworks kept going with the use of strikebreakers. It culminated with threats of sabotage towards the factory, in 1931, a year of great class conflict in Norway. Dynamite was actually found in the machinery, but nobody was prosecuted. At Midsummer of the same year young workers in Oslo gathered for a Midsummer party in ?s. This was considered a threat towards the brickworks, and the State Police were mobilised. However, events settled down without serious incident. In 1937, after eight years of conflict, with the unions blocking and boycotting the company for the duration, a collective agreement was signed. Shortly after, the brickworks were closed down.
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