Short Essay on Right to Strike – Right to strike is recognized as a part of the right to peaceful protest. A political system includes not only the traditional institutions like legislature, judiciary and executive but also associations with political features like political parties, interest groups and pressure groups.
The pressure groups are narrower groups that seek to influence government policies through social, economic and political pressure. The trade unions, chamber of commerce and peasant lobbies form several industrial pressure groups.
The term ‘strike’ stands for a condition when the workers of an establishment stop working collectively, especially to compel their employers to concede to their demands. There are many kinds of strike like tools-down strike, lie-down strike, pen down strike and slow down strike.
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Strike is basically the assertion of the collective bargaining power that the workers possess. As trade unionism gained force it made workers aware of their rights and, also, their collective strength when it came to the redressed of grievances.
Earlier, strike was limited to industrial workers only, but now it has become a tool used even by government employees and students.
Normally, the main cause of strike of workers of an establishment is wages, working conditions or provisions for health and safety. Sometimes strikes also relate to the payment or quantum of bonus, and sometimes it is about the dismissal or retrenchment.
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However, right to strike is available only so long as there is no violence against people and no destruction of property. The Supreme Court held in 2003 that strike by Government Servants is illegal, immoral and unjustifiable. The government servants or employees of public sector undertakings have no right to go on strike.
Strikes go a long way in preserving the interests of the workers, but they cause huge financial loss to the employer, which is also a national loss in the long run.