What Have Been the Main Developments in Strike Activity in Britain over the Last 35 Years?

What have been the main developments in glitter body process in Britain over the last 35 years? flow action at rectitude is a form of industrial action that can occur in the huntplace once conflict has risen. It is a complete stoppage of work by a group of employees and its aim is to express a grade or to enforce a demand. (Dundon, Rowlinson, 2011) Employees will usu bothy use a sop up as a last resort to deal with issues in the workplace workers are not able to perform a pack without a stringent process being adhered too with the help of their individual betray union.Employees can voluntarily become a member of a trade union in which they comport for a representative to incite in times of need. Trade unions are used to regulate pay and running(a) conditions between the employer and employee therefore employees will have the support of their trade union during times of proposed affect activity. There have been many strikes within the private and public sector workfor ce since 1978 and this assignment is going to debate the main developments in strike activity in Britain over the other(prenominal) 35 years.It goes without saying that pre 1978, strikes have occurred (Sapsford, 1982) and played a significant trigger off into more current affairs that can have relevance to put up 1978 therefore numerous references whitethornbe made to pre 1978 due to the impact it has had on the present day. Thatcher The process by which strikes have to follow is currently correct under the Trade Union and Labour Relations typify 1992 (Legislation. Gov, 2013) This law outlines the rights of Trade Unions amongst other things. Notably, this law enforces that trade unions must use a process to perform a strike and this process entails the use of a postal take called a ballot. Gov. UK,2013) Before this particular law was apply the leader of the conservative party, Margaret Thatcher, had initiated the idea of making strike action harder to take part in. Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister from 1979 through until 1990 (Blundell,2008) and it was at this stage in business relationship when trade unions were being reined in by some(prenominal) of Thatchers proposals. Thatcher seen the unions and their occurrence of strike activity to be disruptive and believed that the behaviour of the unions could be repressed by introducing a ballot system (Phillips,1979).This meant that employees would have to participate in a secret ballot to decide on whether to involve themselves in strike action. The introduction of this process was ruled by the Trade Union Act 1984 and meant that unions wouldnt be able to lawfully strike unless they had a majority vote (Carby-Hall,1984) therefore prolonging and hindering the prospect of employees and unions participating in strike activity. pass of Discontent Thatchers introduction of such law appeared not long later(prenominal) one of the most momentous episodes of strike activity in history. The pass of di scontent occurred between 1978 to 1979 and was recognised as the largest stoppage of labour since the 1926 General Strike (Winter of Discontent,2007). This period of work stoppages appeared as a result of high unemployment and impolitic incomes policy, therefore workers felt the desire to fight the labour government and with the change magnitude size and militancy of public sector unions, the winter of discontent achieved a evince status of days lost through strikes(Reitan,2003).Numerous amounts of unions and employees participated in strikes passim the period of the winter of discontent Britain journeyed through power cuts, rubbish pilled in the streets and schooling closures along with a reduction to a three day working week (Elliott, 2008) all in the representation of workers welfare. A total of 39 million days were lost throughout the period between 1978 and 1979 (Gall, 2011) burn Miners Strike The most significant affair of strike activity after Thatchers regulatory impleme ntation to tackle trade union power was the combust miners strike in 1984.This work stoppage arose after the recession in the early 1980s which cut the demand for coal exposing the less productive split of the patience. The strike lasted a whole year and included the involvement of several thousand workers and was the most important defeat for trade union driveway since the General Strike in 1926 according to Lyddon. (Lyddon, 2013) This particular strike was ruinous in regards to the potential effects not just on the coal mining industry, exclusively also other industries that could have been affected by the decisions that lay within Mrs Thatchers power.Nick McGahey, the vice president on the NUM told a news conference that the strikers are not just fighting for their proclaim jobs, but for the jobs other state from different industries (Miners Strike,2013). The steel, engineering and electrical industry will also experience knock on effects of numerous pit closures. As one can imagine being determined in Margaret Thatchers position as this moment in time may have been pressured to say the least, due to the scale of the strike. In 1984 there were 187,000 people in total who were miners and over half of them were participating in strike activity (Miners Strike, 2013).Along with the implications of the political decisions being made, unemployment rates were at an all time high of over 3 million people unemployed. This find was the highest since the period of the General strike in 1926 (ONS, 2013). For Mrs Thatcher, a strike of this gradation must have been enough to have to tame, never mind having to engagement with such high unemployment figures. This situation alone could have been enough for the commonplace public to view Mrs Thatcher in a negative light but she was re-elected as prime minister for the third time in 1987 (Margaret Thatcher, 2013).