"Large Scale Strikes in the Uk Have All but Disappeared”. Critically Discuss Trends in Industrial Conflict in the Uk over the Last Decade

There is a clear evidence to support the notion that large scale strikes have decline in the UK. Strikes are reported to be at an historical low level. They have gone into decline due to numerous factors. The fall in the level of strike activity can be attributed to lower trade union membership, stable economy, rise of individualism and (HRM) Human Resource Management, restrictive trade union legislations and sectoral shift in employment from manufacturing to service. The latter part has being the most influential on the decline of strike activity in the UK. Employment levels in strike prone industries such as mining, steel and docks have fallen. The changes in structural unemployment means that industries that have represented large scale strike no longer exists. They have been replaced by service industry which is less strike prone. In comparison to other developed western nations such as France and Italy, the UK strike action is of lower magnitude. It would therefore be a misjudgement to portray UK as a strike prone country. This is partly because strikes have merely being concentrated in the primary sector of the economy.

The amount of working days lost is a customary measure of the extent of large scale strikes. Hence, without the existence of coal miners, dockers, and the engineering strikes, trends in UK industrial conflict would be less substantial. However, there are indications of resurgence in low scale unorganised industrial conflicts such as absenteeism, sabotage, fiddling etc. Their emergence represents a significant threat to the concept of commitment in the workplace. The developments of a low scale strike actions clearly demonstrate labour workforce discontent. In addition, adoption of unorganised strike activity further confirms employee willingness to maintain resistance to radical management policies.

This essay will critically assess historical trends of strike activity in the UK. This means looking at the past industrial conflicts and

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