Avoiding Disruption. European Guide To Strikes And Other Industrial Action

This European guide to strikes and other industrial action has been created to provide you with a quick and easy reference when responding to threats of industrial action in 15 European countries.

INTRODUCTION

Industrial action taken by workers against employers has always had the potential for severe disruption. However, employers need to be aware of new and emerging trends in industrial action ("IA") which have already taken some employers by surprise, including:

• disputes involving international, not just national, issues
• trade unions and workers collaborating across borders, including cross-border secondary (solidarity) action
• unwelcome, and sometimes unexpected, shifts in the law regulating IA – reflecting the creeping influence of regional and international treaty obligations on national laws (see "recent developments" on page six)