THE RIGHT TO STRIKE AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE AS A MEASURE OF DIRECT INDUSTRIAL ACTION
THE RIGHT TO STRIKE AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE AS A MEASURE OF DIRECT INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Summary/Abstract: The strike as a legal, sociological, collective, political phenomenon rooted in labor law, began to realize its full potential in labor relations and to yield its first significant outcomes at the beginning of the 20th century. It reached its peak and flourished in the early 21st century. As a collective (industrial) action, the strike - along with all its unique characteristics and procedures - has survived to this day as the most powerful tool in the hands of labor unions and “independent workers” alike. Its strength actually lies in the pressure of the collective exerted on the employer. The new millennium has introduced numerous challenges that workers can only confront by holding in their hands today’s fundamental labor right: the right to strike. The flexibilization and deregulation of the labor market, which entails significant unemployment problems, have weakened the collective power of individuals to protect their interests. This, in turn, underscores the urgent need to awaken awareness among workers - that the strength of every nation has always rested and will continue to rest in the hands of its workforce. In the first part of this paper, the authors emphasize the importance of the reaction of the collective action (primarily through unionized employees) in protecting workers’ interests, as well as the significance of the strike and its possible political implications. In the continuation of the paper, we look at the normative definition of the right to strike in the Republic of Serbia and in the countries of the Western Balkans. The second part explores three additional models of industrial action, which serves as precursors to the modern right to strike.

• Details
• Contents