IS THERE SUCH A THING AS AN ILLEGAL STRIKE?

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Absolutely, though a more accurate term is “unprotected.” Even though private-sector workers have a right to strike, there are rules. There are exceptions to everything. A sit-in strike is not protected under federal law. That’s when striking employees occupy their workplace and don't let anyone else get work done, which was common in the 1930s.A slow-down strike, in which employees intentionally slow down their work pace, is also unprotected. So is an “intermittent strike,” when employees say they will strike on-and-off over a period of time.

An employer could easily fire workers for taking part in unlawful strikes. For union members, there are usually strict limits on strikes. Most collective bargaining agreements include a guarantee that workers will not strike for the duration of a contract. That’s why GM workers went on strike the minute their contract expired at midnight. When employees go on strike without union approval, that’s called a “wildcat” strike. And if it violates the contract, a union can discipline those members or else the company may sue. Some of the most famous illegal strikes in recent years have been the teachers strikes. Because government employees are not covered, they are subject to state laws. .Teachers in some states in Nigeria went on strike as of 2021/2022, and most of them got the pay raises they wanted. They could have all gotten fired, or even put in jail. But they had an advantage: strength in numbers.“You can’t replace all these teachers in mass, especially with the low wages that they were paying,” Dau-Schmidt said. “If you’re hard to replace and you’re unified, you can get away with it".

Comments (4)

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  • Yes, I think that an illegal strike would be one that would contain lots of violence. A "good" strike is one where people show their point of view, not fighting.

    1. I completely agree with you. Yes, people want their voice to be acknowledged by members of society but this should never be sought after with any use whatsoever with an act of brutality that can harm the surroundings or an individual. Personally, I believe activist art is a perfect way of really expressing information through paintings that can have metaphorical meanings. It is done in a subtle way yet it can still draw attention to residents because of the beauty of the message conveyed. Beauty. Beauty is not violence. Violence is not Beauty. Even if someone tried to be violent to get what they want, it would make others scared of taking the opportunity to act. We need to act as a group to show unity because only when everyone strikes at the right moment, at the right time then people start to notice. If you want to raise awareness about a global issue-do so. If you want to speak out by giving a speech just like Emmeline Pankhurst did at the Royal Albert Hall -do so. If you want to take actions just like Greta Thunberg did regardless of how little you are- do so.

  • I have to commend your standpoint, it really caught my attention. The thing is, we all know that employer employee issues are problems prone to popping up at one instant or the other and one of the most efficient channel for workers to solve those problems is going on strikes but, the thing is not every worker or set of workers can engage in this method and even those that can have to ''play their cards'' well else, they will end up messing things up for their selves. Most workers get carried away bothering about increasing the pay of their jobs and so they rush into strikes but they forget that there are other people who can do their jobs and are begging and seeking for the pay they are rejecting and so replacing them when their strike actions annoy their employee is very easy. Sometime in 2013, my uncle and his colleagues who worked for MTN were not happy with their pay and so they went on a strike. Well, the company manages a line of communication and the owners needed their workers back urgently so, in less than two days, they were all sacked and a new set of individuals were hired. The reason is this, Nigeria is a country that has one the highest rate of unemployment many people have their certificates as graduates but have no job, this issue ensures availability of a replacement for almost all areas of work and so because of this people are looking for the most minimal wage to operate under. So, if you are a worker in Nigeria, strikes should be your last resort if you are not unified and hard to replace. My uncle and his colleagues might have been unified but they were easy to replace and that lead to their down fall. The funny thing is that even those that are hard to replace have to play their cards wisely else, they may lose their jobs as well.

    1. I agree because... there are many cases of people who went on strike and lost their jobs. Sometimes strikers are fighting for their rights when they are sacked. Other times strikers strike for useless reasons eventually making the employer feel fed up and just sack them.
      There is such a thing as an illegal strike. A strike may be illegal because the reason or purpose of the strike is unlawful. A strike in support of a an unfair labor practice, or one that would cause an employer to go against laws is considered an illegal strike. Illegal Strike is a strike that is considered a violation of the law. An illegal strike is entered without regard to the no-strike agreement of the union.

  • I strongly agree with you
    There must be a law that protects workers when striking, demanding their rights from the government in particular.
    But in my country we have another difficult case
    The teachers went on strike from the beginning of the school year in September, demanding a raise in wages
    It is expected, according to your words, that the state will respond to their demands due to their large number and the power of influence they have. Schools are closed and students have not received any education.
    Unfortunately, what happened to us is that the Prime Minister refused to fulfill their demands, and the result is that schools remain closed until now, the month of May. No student received regular education inside the school.
    I think the state here is seeking a parents' uprising against teachers.
    What should we do as students according to your experiences??

  • I love your point of view, but in my opinion Strikes are a political factor in demanding what people deserve and claiming their rights, if it was really necessary for people to strike.
    When workers who work in companies on the Internet and computers strike, I think this will not affect society and people much like disturbance and noise.
    But in my opinion, doctors and teachers should not strike, because this is their responsibility. Doctors from different parts of the world take an oath upon their graduation that they will do their best to save a person’s life from death and disease, so they should not strike except for necessity and cruelty, as if not The nurse takes his share for a period of two to three years, as is the case in some countries. Here I support that they strike, but there are many nurses, doctors and engineers who go out to strike and they don't need that, only for exploitation. They take their rights, but they are greedy for more and more, just for the sake of the money..
    Here we must stop for a while. The government or the president of the country should not give them money unless it is confirmed that the strike is valid.
    When striking, the strikers must state the reason for their strike and the reasons must be very convincing to give them money and allow them to strike. This is a complete exploitation of the strike and this fully reflects the concept and meaning of the strike.