Timeline of key Strike Activity
Prior to the 1980’s there was high strike activity in the UK. The 80’s were a “transition period of “coercive pacification””, meaning it was a period of creating peace, or at least trying to. Here are the key parts of strike history in the UK. (Lyddon, 2015).
The Miner's Strike occurred from 1984 to 1985. The strike lasted over a year with the miners eventually being sent back to work. This is one of the major strikes that many people are aware of due to how violent it was, especially was coined “The Battle of Orgreave” (The history of strikes in the UK - Office for National Statistics, n.d.). The significance was that it marked the first major loss for trade unions, arguably setting in motion the theme of working-class defeat in the UK for the next 25 years.
Next, we have the Liverpool Dock Strike from 1995-1998. This showed that working class systems of solidarity had not completely disappeared from the Miners Strikes of ’84. This strike acts as a point at which solidarity was reconfigured and adapted in the new era of global capitalism. (Marren, 2016).
More recently were the Public Sector strikes of 2011 with workers involved in disputed over pensions. The strikes led to the closure of schools and the postponement of hospital operations. The effect this had was viewed differently by many, but the strikes ultimately led to negotiations being continued and issues being resolved. (The history of strikes in the UK - Office for National Statistics, n.d.). This strike was significant as strike activity in recent years was declining.
The graph below shows the days lost through strike activity in the UK. It is clear to see that activity in recent years has decline significantly since the early 1900’s.

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