The pros and cons of strike actions

Strikes are an unfortunate part of the negotiations between trade unions and the company. Fortunately they are not nearly as common as they used to be, in large part because both the unions and the employers have realized just how disruptive they can be. Nevertheless there are still reasons that it may be necessary for a union to hold a strike action.

The main pro in favor of a strike action is that it will in most cases force the employer to negotiate with the union in order to provide a better deal for the workers. Usually this involves higher wages but there is often a great deal more involved in the negotiations. This could include things like better working conditions, safety issues and job security. Ideally all of this would be negotiated without the need for a strike but there are times when it may be necessary. It is not however a decision to be taken lightly as there are a number of cons to going on strike.

The biggest downside to a strike is that employees are not working while they are on strike. The result is that they usually have no income, although they do often get a small allowance from the union. A strike is really about seeing who can withstand going without an income longer the union members or the company. This is really not good for anybody as strikes can go on for months. In some cases the union members may find that the wages they lost by being on strike are not even made up by the pay increase that they get.

An even bigger downside to a strike is that there may ultimately be no job to go back to. The company may choose to transfer the jobs overseas where they can get employees with lower wages and where the unions have less power. Or they may simply decide that it is not worth continuing operations and shut down altogether. In most cases this does not happen as it is very expensive to transfer jobs overseas and there are some where it can't be done. Nevertheless the risk does exist and employees need to be aware of it if they are thinking of going on strike.

A strike is not something that anybody should want to have happen. There are rarely any winners, in most cases the union and the company will find that it costs them more than it is worth. Nevertheless there are times when it may be necessary. If the terms that are being offered are not acceptable and the company will not negotiate a better deal there may be no other option. It is important however to keep in mind that there are risks to going on strike so you have to make sure that it is worth it.