Increased partnership working
between employers and unions has helped reduce the number of strike actions in
the UK.
The Office for
National Statistic research shows that the strike rate in the UK fell from 12
days to 10 per 1,000 workers in 2000, promoting the UK to sixth in a ranking of
the EU’s member states with the lowest frequency of industrial action
Industrial action in
the EU as a whole was reduced by 42 per cent in the five-year period between
1995 and 1999. The strike rate was reduced by 43 per cent in UK in the same
period.
The TUC attributes it
to partnership working. A spokesperson said, "Strikes are at an all-time
low in the UK and partnership is now the most common approach to industrial
relations. Most employers no longer see unions as adversaries, but as sensible
partners to involve in the successful running of organisations.
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"But when
relationships do break down in the workplace and employers behave badly, unions
can still use the threat of industrial action to protect the rights of their
members at work."
The UK’s rate of
strike action is three times less than the average for member countries of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The UK has the tenth
lowest strike rate in the OECD.
