STRIKE ACTIVITY

Why has strike activity increased in recent years?

Introduction

Recently it has been observed that strike activities have been increasing in United Kingdom. There has been a significant deterioration in labour management relations, with surprising changes in the aggregate level of strike activity. This essay will first discuss about the various definitions and types of strike to understand the legal and actual meaning of the strike. Furthermore, we discuss about the causes of strike in UK and strike statistics.

The definitions of Strike

It is significant to describe the word strikes. A strike is defined as a 'temporary stoppage of work by a group of employees in order to express a grievance or enforce a demand' (Griffin 1939)

The word “strike”, generally coming from strike action, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by employees to perform work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievances that employees feel management are ignoring (Ashenfelter, 1969).

A strike may consist of workers refusing to attend work or picketing outside the workplace so as to prevent or dissuade people from working in their place or conducting business with their employer (Kennan, 1977).

The strike is from the 19th century a class action consisting of a stoppage of work by employees of a company, economic sector, an occupational or extension of any other productive person, often initiated by unions (Kerr and Clark). This action aims to support the claims of employees by putting pressure on supervisors or employer (company or boss), the loss of production and the cessation of work entails. This is a test of strength: the striker is not paid while the company no longer produces and loses money.

The legal strike action varies from country to ban outright (especially in dictatorships), the regulatory and legislative framework. In countries where the strike is legal, it is generally prohibited from certain professions that provide core functions of the state or basic public services: and the military, the firefighters or the police.

A strike is a collective action which is for the employees of a company, an industry, profession, to cease work in a concerted manner. Furthermore the strike is a showdown in which the striking employees are not paid while the employer sees its business and profits decline (Lampman and Timothy, 1983). The strike aims to put pressure on corporate executives or government for negotiation or for the satisfaction of demands: increasing wages, better working conditions, specific benefits, cancellation of a decision (Grubert, 1968).

Types of strike

Rotating strike: strike coordinated between all or a portion of employees who take turns to strike so that the actual work is never complete without too much loss of salary (Kennan, 1977). This is not a strike in the legal sense, but a breach of its contractual obligations by the employee. Such action is illegal in France.

Rule: is to apply the regulations in their smallest details. Advantage for the striker: he directed his work, so this action is legal (case or customs professionals for which strikes are banned) and ...