Essay on Strikes in English
In this age of democracy the right to strike to refuse to work - is regarded as a fundamental right of every employee. In the past - strikes were associated with industrial workers in factories who had organised themselves into trade unions.
Even today trade unions are powerful and frequently call massive and successful strikes. But other sections of employees like pilots, teachers, and Government servants also go on strike.
The purpose of a strike is to force the employers to grant the demands of the workers regarding salary, bonus or service conditions. Human nature being selfish, the owners of big factories and industries have a tendency to exploit the workers and reserve for themselves the lion's share of the profits.
The workers are justified in demanding a living wage and reasonable hours of work. When the just demands of the workers are turned down, they usually go on strike. As the cost of living is spiralling up year by year Government servants, bank clerks and teachers find it hard to make ends meet, and frequently resort to strikes.
When there is an effective weapon in the hands of employees, when the strikers are united and ready to put up with temporary hardships, they create a situation in which the employers are bound to concede their legitimate demands.
Successful strikes have brought higher wages and better living conditions to industrial worker. The right to strike has imposed a curb on exploitation and injustice. While the weapon of strike has brought several benefits to workers, it should be used in a cautious and responsible manner.
It should be remembered that a strike involves cessation of production and loss of national wealth. A poor country like India cannot afford to have frequent and prolonged strikes. Some Trade Union leaders call strikes to fulfil their own personal or political ends.
Strikes, therefore, should be resorted to only when constructive measures like negotiations and arbitration have failed. Nor can one overemphasise the importance of conducting them in a peaceful manner.
Difficult Words: Living wage - wage which enables a worker to maintain himself and his family. turned down - refused, spiralling up - rising steeply. concede - grant, curb-restraint, arbitration - settlement of a dispute by somebody accepted as a judge.