industrial action

English

Noun

industrial action (countable and uncountable, plural industrial actions)

  1. (chiefly UK, Ireland, labour) A workplace protest by employees designed to inconvenience or disrupt the business of the employer.
    Synonyms: (US) job action, labor action
    Coordinate terms: industrial peace, lockout
    • 2019 November 6, Robert Drysdale, “Wires offer boost to Borders revival”, in Rail, page 42:
      Furthermore, overdue training of crew on the new Class 385 electrics, compounded by industrial action, meant that announcements of train cancellations "due to a member of the train crew being unavailable" became very familiar to passengers across east central Scotland.
    • 2025 May 4, John Simpson, “Police Federation under fire for backing ‘unsackable’ rogue cops”, in The Observer[1]:
      The federation, set up in 1919 after police were banned from taking industrial action when strikes led to riots and looting, is a statutory body that provides legal support to its officers, as well as fighting their corner like a union would over pay, conditions and welfare.

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