The Legality Of Employee Strike Action

Welcome to Reed Smith's Monthly Global Employment Law blog post. This month's post covers the legality of employee strikes in five key jurisdictions: France, Germany, Hong Kong, the UK and the United States.

France

According to the French Supreme Court, a lawful strike action is defined as a collective cessation of work, the purpose of which is to support professional claims. In the private sector, the right to strike, as a constitutional right, cannot be restricted or regulated by a collective agreement or by the employer itself. There is thus no obligation to comply with a specific notice period prior to going on strike. Employees, however, must inform the employer of their claims at the time they decide to stop working and go on strike.