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Industrial action

Industrial action is one of the fundamental means available to workers and their organisations to solve labour disputes and promote their economic and social interests. It can take many forms, from the complete withdrawal of labour for an indefinite period to more restricted forms of collective action in which there is no cessation of work. The right to strike is explicitly recognised in the constitutions and/or laws of many countries. At EU level, the right to strike is enshrined in Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The right to collective action by the social partners is also included in the European Pillar of Social Rights.  Eurofound is currently exploring the feasibility of an industrial action monitor. 

Topic

Eurofound research

Eurofound has analysed data collected in 2018–2019 during the piloting of its Industrial Action Monitor (IAM) database. Using cluster analysis, the research classified industrial action in Europe into five categories: 

  • national disputes of interest and rights, sometimes involving different forms of employment
  • extended disputes about collective pay agreements
  • localised disputes about employment problems, working time and restructuring, with short work stoppages
  • localised disputes about workers’ rights and grievances over company policies
  • disputes concerning public policies

Recent updates

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This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries – the 27 EU Member States and Norway. The country reports summarise evidence on the...

19 mai 2022
Publication
Other
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Ces dernières années, hormis quelques pics occasionnels, il a été constaté une baisse générale des actions syndicales dans tous les États membres de l’Union. Pendant la pandémie de Covid-19, cette...

7 février 2022
Publication
Research report

Key outputs

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In recent years, apart from some intermittent spikes, there has been a general decrease in industrial action across the EU Member States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this trend has continued...

7 février 2022
Publication
Research report
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Relative calm on the industrial action front in 2020

Despite the economic turmoil that led to large-scale restructuring in many EU Member States and changes in working conditions for many occupational groups, 2020 seems to have been a quiet...

Article
Publications results (18)

This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries – the 27 EU Member States and Norway. The country reports summarise evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on working life based on national research and survey results during 2021. They

19 May 2022

Ces dernières années, hormis quelques pics occasionnels, il a été constaté une baisse générale des actions syndicales dans tous les États membres de l’Union. Pendant la pandémie de Covid-19, cette tendance s’est poursuivie; sans surprise, les conflits de travail les plus importants se sont produits

07 February 2022

This report – the latest in an annual series – describes the main developments in industrial relations and the regulations affecting working conditions at EU level and in the EU Member States and Norway during 2018. Based on data from the Network of Eurofound Correspondents, it presents information

02 October 2019

Annual review of working life 2017 is part of a series of annual reviews published by Eurofound and provides an overview of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the EU and Norway. The annual review collates information based on reports from Eurofound’s

22 October 2018

Teachers across Europe have been protesting about their working conditions. Pay levels and pay inequalities, working time and workload, recruitment procedures and staffing at schools have been the main focus of social dialogue and collective action. Several of the reported cases are set in the

09 January 2017

Smartphone car service Uber, a successful company example of the sharing economy, has spread to many EU Member States in recent years. However, many employers and unions are concerned about its challenge to fair competition for other businesses in the sector and about the erosion of working

25 January 2016

Air transport has been in the news in recent months as strikes and difficulties in social dialogue across the European Union have strained relations between the sector’s unions and companies. Disputes in the different countries have revolved around pay and working conditions, restructuring and

09 December 2015

Strike activity across the EU dropped in 2014 following a crisis-related peak in 2010. However, evidence from EurWORK correspondents suggests that the more highly unionised public sector has been a focus of industrial action recently. In general, strikes have been triggered by pay freezes and cuts

24 November 2015

Collective bargaining systems in the EU have undergone a steady change since the end of the 1990s. But as businesses across Europe struggle to respond to intensifying global competition, pressure from employers for greater flexibility in collective bargaining is increasing, especially since the 2008

04 November 2015

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of dispute resolution in the EU between the first and third quarters of 2014. Changes in the EU Member States’ collective and individual dispute resolution mechanisms are the main focus. The section on 'Extensions of

18 February 2015

Online resources results (504)

Company accused of anti-union behaviour

The electrical household appliances manufacturer Indesit [1] presented an industrial restructuring [2] plan to trade unions on 4 June 2011, setting out a number of proposals to reorganise its Italian production plants between 2013 and 2015. [1] http://www.indesitcompany.com/inst/en/index.jsp [2] www

Controversy over new employment tribunal fees

New fees for pursuing cases through employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT [1]) came into effect on 29 July 2013. Previously, it had been free of charge to bring a claim. [1] http://www.employmentappeals.gov.uk/

Huge increase in industrial action in 2012

In February 2013, the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI [1]) within the Hans Böckler Foundation (Hans Böckler Stiftung [2]) published its annual report on industrial action for 2012 (in German) [3]. The figures in the report are informed estimates based on strike data from trade unions

Postal workers win concessions after strike

A wildcat strike was launched by around 80 independent parcel post workers in the Netherlands on 25 June 2013. The self-employed drivers, known as ZZPs, who work for PostNL [1], had rejected proposed lower pay rates offered by the postal company for the delivery of each parcel. The drivers had been

Interim report on 2013 bargaining round

In July 2013, the Institute for Economic and Social Research (WSI [1]) in Germany published its interim report (1.34 MB PDF, in German) [2] on the 2013 collective bargaining [3] round. The study was put together using data from the Collective Agreement Archive (Tarifarchiv [4]) of the Hans Böckler

Redundancy consultation law redefined

In the UK, the statutory obligation for employers to consult employee representatives about the impact of collective redundancies is triggered ‘where an employer is proposing to dismiss as redundant 20 or more employees at one establishment within a period of 90 days or less’, as set out in section

Government changes threaten teaching posts

On 4 June 2013, the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC [1]) called a meeting to announce a decision by the Cypriot Government [2] to close down the Foundation for the Management of Afternoon and Evening Training Programmes (IDAVEP). [1] http://www.moec.gov.cy/ [2] http://www.cyprus.gov.cy

Deadlock over broadcast reform

Greece’s public radio and television broadcasting service is the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ΕRΤ). ERT operates 3 television channels and 28 radio stations throughout Greece, as well as 2 music ensembles and a radio-television magazine. ERT was one of the founding members of the European

First general strike in 30 years

Since 2011, the poor quality of social dialogue in Poland has led to clashes between the liberal government of the Civic Platform (PO [1]) and major trade unions on a number of subjects. They have disagreed on proposed reforms to the retirement age, the minimum wage, atypical employment and working

Solidarity contract saves jobs at major steelworks

Ilva, which produces and processes steel, employs 14,512 people in five Italian production plants. The company’s most important production site, which employs 11,457 people, is in Taranto, Puglia, in southern Italy, and is one of the biggest steel production plants in Europe.


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