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The changing nature of strike behaviour.

DEFINITION - more than 10 workers go on strike for more than 10 days. Or working days lost >100. The figures on wdl are consistent from one period to next and accurate, but the reporting of strikes is not accurate.

non-strike behaviours:

1.         overtime ban (1 day per week more than eu)

2.         work to rules

Non-strikes - fleet street printing industry. Strike threats.

Strike aim - it is worth while to give payrises, because a loss is greater.

Cost of strike - figures are suspicious, because firms have stock. Shop stewards want to make a strike when most reputation is lost. Since 1984 there has to be a secret ballot in order to have a strike. Managament caves in when ballot goes through. 98% of ballots go through, of these 4% happen.

TRENDS in strikes

Peaks in 69-73 and then goes down. One has to treat coal industry differently. Duration tends to fall. Big strikes cause peaks. Public sectors strikes has become common after 1960s. Mostly working days lost per year per 1000 workers.

CAUSES: Pay, Redundancy, TU, dismissal and discipline, manning and work allocation.

1.         Macroeconomic - inflation, employment(duration of strikes affected). Strikes tend to be affected with rising prices. Comparatively can also upset you when others pays rises.

2.         Government- income policies(stopped during, started after), privatisation(contracting out)

3.         Management - pay systems(mostly performance related pay, not now), caused widely different rates), bargaining structure (length of strike, move to enterprise bargaining diminished strikes)

INTERNATIONAL - strikes are falling, UK is ahead, because of public sector strikes. Some countries are becoming more strike prone.

LAW - strikes are harder to hold, expensiver and balloting substitutes.

THIRD PARTY INTERVENTION

Counciliation (gets people to work in separate rooms)

Mediation (not be binding)

Arbitration (say what do do)

1896 legislation allowed state to inquire, conciliate and arbitrate

1919 Industrial Court

1975 ACAS and CAS founded. Deals with individual (sex discrimination).

Arbitration - all in same room, quasi solution. The other side must not loose face. For private it is voluntary and bilaterial (both sides). Public sector disputes are often unilateral. Essential services should always be arbitrated, but people must give info to 3rd.

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