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The right to strike has long been one of the most powerful tools workers have to defend their interests and demand fair treatment. But nowadays, this fundamental labour right is being brutally suppressed. According to recent global labour reports, 87% of countries now violate basic collective action rights through restrictive laws, intimidation, or outright violence. Workers face legal bans, criminal charges, and systematic union-busting when they attempt to organize or protest. As the space for dissent narrows, the right to strike is vanishing, undermining labour rights, democracy, and social justice across the world. For more labour rights insights and workplace updates, visit our Labour Rights page.
Global crackdown on collective action rights
Across continents, governments are tightening control over workers’ collective action rights. The law conditions of many states render the strikes almost impossible to implement. To ban or severely limit the strikes, authorities broaden the meaning of the essential services to sectors of the economy such as education and transport.
Meanwhile, employers use these feeble safeguards to threaten layoffs, outsourcing or relocation when employees attempt to organize. The result of this international competition is that workers are left with no bargaining power to agree on decent salaries and secure work environments despite the increased corporate earnings.
Read more: 10 Biggest Corporate Strikes in 2025 and their Reason
How the right to strike is being weakened
The erosion of the right to strike takes many forms:
- Laws that take too much time notifying before any strike and complicated procedures.
- Peaceful protests and picketing should be criminalized under the public order or security laws.
- Union-busting tactics such as dismissals, blacklisting, and intimidation of union leaders.
- Police brutality and arrests against protestors and labourists.
These actions produce a chilling effect. Even when labour rights appear in law, workers fear real-world retaliation if they exercise them.
From protest to algorithm, the frontlines of activism have rapidly shifted to digital platforms, where moderation bots now play a powerful gatekeeping role. Social movements depend on social media to mobilise, organise movement.
Why protecting labour rights matters for democracy
The right to strike is fundamental to a healthy democracy. By being able to mobilize and act collectively, the workers will be able to fight against inequality, unsafe work, and exploitation. Strong labour rights support social dialogue, fairer wages, and more stable societies. Protecting the right to strike requires stronger international labour standards, enforcement mechanisms, and public pressure on both governments and corporations to respect collective action rights.
