What Have Been the Main Developments in Strike Activity in Britain over the Last 35 Years?
What have been the main developments in strike activity in Britain over the last 35 years?
Strike activity is a form of industrial action that can occur in the workplace once conflict has risen. It is a complete stoppage of work by a group of employees and its aim is to express a grievance or to enforce a demand. (Dundon, Rowlinson, 2011) Employees will usually use a strike as a last resort to deal with issues in the workplace; workers are not able to perform a strike without a stringent process being adhered too with the help of their respective trade union. Employees can voluntarily become a member of a trade union in which they pay for a representative to aid in times of need. Trade unions are used to regulate pay and working conditions between the employer and employee therefore employees will have the support of their trade union during times of proposed strike activity. There have been numerous strikes within the private and public sector workforce since 1978 and this assignment is going to discuss the main developments in strike activity in Britain over the past 35 years. It goes without saying that pre 1978, strikes have occurred (Sapsford, 1982) and played a significant part into more current affairs that can have relevance to post 1978 therefore numerous references maybe made to pre 1978 due to the impact it has had on the present day.
Thatcher
The process by which strikes have to follow is currently regulated under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 (Legislation.Gov, 2013) This law outlines the rights of Trade Unions amongst other things. Notably, this law enforces that trade unions must use a process to perform a strike and this process entails the use of a postal vote called a ballot. (Gov.UK,2013) Before this particular law was implemented the leader of the conservative party, Margaret Thatcher, had initiated the idea of making strike action harder to participate in. Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister from 1979 through until
Strike activity is a form of industrial action that can occur in the workplace once conflict has risen. It is a complete stoppage of work by a group of employees and its aim is to express a grievance or to enforce a demand. (Dundon, Rowlinson, 2011) Employees will usually use a strike as a last resort to deal with issues in the workplace; workers are not able to perform a strike without a stringent process being adhered too with the help of their respective trade union. Employees can voluntarily become a member of a trade union in which they pay for a representative to aid in times of need. Trade unions are used to regulate pay and working conditions between the employer and employee therefore employees will have the support of their trade union during times of proposed strike activity. There have been numerous strikes within the private and public sector workforce since 1978 and this assignment is going to discuss the main developments in strike activity in Britain over the past 35 years. It goes without saying that pre 1978, strikes have occurred (Sapsford, 1982) and played a significant part into more current affairs that can have relevance to post 1978 therefore numerous references maybe made to pre 1978 due to the impact it has had on the present day.
Thatcher
The process by which strikes have to follow is currently regulated under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 (Legislation.Gov, 2013) This law outlines the rights of Trade Unions amongst other things. Notably, this law enforces that trade unions must use a process to perform a strike and this process entails the use of a postal vote called a ballot. (Gov.UK,2013) Before this particular law was implemented the leader of the conservative party, Margaret Thatcher, had initiated the idea of making strike action harder to participate in. Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister from 1979 through until