Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Women Strike
Women on Strike in the UK: Legal Implications
Labor issues continue to be a major source of controversy and upset for millions of British citizens and for policy makers in London, not simply due to the practical problems that persist as part of the financial turmoil but also because labor laws and priorities in the legal system are not clearly defined or consistently enforced. While many laws are clearly defined for rights employees have on an individual basis and duties employers have to employees as a whole, when it comes to the coordinated efforts of groups of employees engaged in "industrial actions" such as organized labor strikes or walkouts the law I not entirely clear. It seems as though such actions are not actually illegal, but neither are such actions or workers that engage in them explicitly protected by any existing laws of the land.
For women especially, the decision to take a stand as part of an organized labor movement can be quite difficult without knowing what legal standing is available in such circumstances. As sexism still exists in the workplace regardless of laws put in place meant to curtail such prejudice, fears of retaliation and other negative consequences for taking concerted action with other employees in response to workplace problems can prevent many women from helping to instigate, organize, or even simply participate in strikes and other industrial actions. Understanding the legal position women employed in the United Kingdom are in, as well as how the law views and treats industrial actions such as strikes and other work stoppages, is essential in promoting a more fair and equal workplace.
Strikes in...
Indeed the government's response to these strikes makes it clear that, undesirable and unwarranted as such actions might seem to be by some, there isn't much the government can do to force people to work or to stop industrial actions in and of themselves, unless they actually create damage to property or other threats to the rule of law (Ambrogi, 2011). At the same time, the government's views on strikes and the labor force in general is not exactly encouraging, and smacks of the same paternalistic and patriarchal attitudes that create many problems for women workers especially.
Prime minister David Cameron referred to the strike, which unions claimed was carried out by two million workers, as a "damp squib," trying to downplay the importance of the event (Ambrogi, 2011). The government already had a plan in place for dealing with this strike, and rather than addressing any of the concerns of the unions or the striking workers government representatives simply dismissed the actions and the workers themselves (Ambrogi, 2011). Though this has no direct legal implications, it suggests the detached attitude of the government towards workers and industrial actions, and this leaves things very uncertain.
Women are already dismissed or discounted in the workforce…
References
Ambrogi, S. (2011). Striking UK workers challenge coalition. Accessed 7 March 2012. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/30/us-britain-strikes-idUSTRE7AT0UJ20111130
Directgov. (2012). Breach of contract. Accessed 7 March 2012. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/EmploymentContractsAndConditions/DG_10027521
Zirin, D. (2012). UK Labor Leader Threatens Strikes During the London Olympics. Accessed 7 March 2012. http://www.thenation.com/blog/166507/uk-labor-leader-threatens-strikes-during-london-olympics
Women and the Union: Struggle for Change Women's rights have enjoyed an increasingly prominent position in society and the workplace since the suffragettes managed to gain the vote for women. Acknowledging the intelligence and power of women as sufficient to allow them voting rights has led to other allowances as well. Throughout the 20th century, this struggle has not been an easy one, but it has been one that has gained
Women The sphere of women's work had been strictly confined to the domestic realm, prior to the Industrial Revolution. Social isolation, financial dependence, and political disenfranchisement characterized the female experience prior to the twentieth century. The suffrage movement was certainly the first sign of the dismantling of the institutionalization of patriarchy, followed by universal access to education, and finally, the civil rights movement. Opportunities for women have gradually unfolded since the
Women's Suffrage The history of Women's suffrage in American can trace its roots back to the 1630's, and Anne Hutchinson who was convicted of sedition and expelled from the Massachusetts colony for her religious ideas. One of which was the idea that women should be involved in religious discussions and decision-making within the church. But it was the Quakers who really made a significant contribution to women's suffrage by preaching equality,
According to Enstad, historians did not cover the earlier years of the labor movement at the beginning of the 20th century any better. She says that the information was actually incorrect. Many women at this time were into popular culture, reading cheap dime novels and wearing stylish clothes. Historians say that the women were therefore distracted from the serious issues that were taking place in the labor movement. The situation
Many women took up the cause of temperance. Women like Jane Adams, worked to expose political corruption and economic exploitation and established philanthropic programs for the poor. By 1900 over one-third of the wage-earning women in this country were employed as domestics or waitresses." As business grew, the privileged class grew. Domestics were in demand and were expected to do every kind of household chore in addition to cooking, serving,
Women's History This report discusses how most women who participated in the many reform movements during the late 19th and early 20th century did not intend to solely help their own kind of white middle to upper class women. There is no doubt that the period witnessed an abundance of female activism and this report will incorporate various reform movements of the time such as the Women's Club Movement and the