Synonyms and antonyms of Strikes and other union activity in British Thesaurus

action (noun)

the process of stopping work or working less effectively in order to protest about your pay, working conditions etc. This kind of action is also called industrial action

blackleg (noun)

Britishshowing disapproval someone who continues to work when the other people they work with are on strike

break a strike ()

to end a situation in which workers have been on strike

break a strike ()

to start working again when you have been on strike

collective bargaining (noun)

discussions between employers and trade unions about pay and working conditions

come out (British)

British to stop working as a protest

cooling-off period (noun)

a pause in an argument, especially one between a company’s management and employees, that gives people time to think calmly about how to reach an agreement

direct action (noun)

action such as protests and strikes that workers take in order to force employers to agree to what they want

down tools ()

to stop working, especially as a protest

flying picket (noun)

someone who travels around to places where workers are on strike, and helps them to stop other people from working there

general strike (noun)

a situation in which all or most of the workers in a particular industry or country stop working in order to force their employers to provide better conditions or higher pay

go out on strike ()

to stop working as a protest

go-slow (noun)

British a situation in which workers protest about something by working more slowly than usual

grievance procedure (noun)

a formal series of actions that an employee has to go through when they want to complain officially about the way that they have been treated at work

industrial action (noun)

British a protest in which workers show that they disagree with a policy of their employer, for example by striking (=refusing to work)

industrial dispute (noun)

a disagreement between workers and their employer

industrial relations (noun)

the relationship between the workers and managers in an industry or company

industrial tribunal (noun)

a court in the UK where workers can bring complaints against their employers

lightning strike (noun)

British a form of protest in which workers stop doing their jobs without giving their employers any warning

lockout (noun)

a situation in which a company refuses to allow workers to come to work until they accept the working conditions that the company is offering them

lock out ()

if a company locks out its workers, it closes their place of work so that they cannot go to work until they agree to the employer’s conditions

out (adverb)

used for saying that workers are on strike (=have stopped work in order to protest)

picket (noun)

a group of people who are protesting about something outside a building, especially a group of workers who are on strike and are encouraging other workers not to work

picket (noun)

someone who is part of a picket

picket (verb)

to take part in a protest outside a building, especially as part of a strike. Protests like this are called picketing

picket line (noun)

a picket. Workers who cross a picket line continue to work while other workers are on strike.

restrictive practices (noun)

unfair limits that workers or employers put on the rights of others in order to protect their own interests

scab (noun)

offensive an insulting word for someone who continues to work when the people who they work with are on strike (=not working as a protest)

sit-down (adjective)

a sit-down strike, protest etc is a protest in which people sit down in order to stop a business from operating until their demands are listened to

slowdown (noun)

American a go-slow

stoppage (noun)

a time when people stop working as a protest

strike (verb)

to refuse to work for a period of time as a protest about your pay or conditions of work

strike (noun)

a period of time during which people refuse to work, as a protest about pay or conditions of work

strikebreaker (noun)

a worker who refuses to take part in a strike, or a worker who does the job of someone who is taking part in a strike

strike pay (noun)

money paid to workers by their union during a strike

striker (noun)

a worker who is taking part in a strike

sympathy strike (noun)

an occasion when workers stop working as a protest to show their support for another group of workers who have gone on strike

walkout (noun)

a form of protest in which someone leaves a place, or a group of workers stop working and leave the building

walk out ()

to stop working as a way of protesting about something

wildcat strike (noun)

a lightning strike

withdraw (your) labour ()

to refuse to work because of a disagreement about working hours, pay etc

work to rule ()

to do only what the rules at work say you must do and nothing more, as a form of protest

work-to-rule (noun)

a situation in which workers protest by doing only the exact work that their contract says they must do