The Enduring Relevance of the Right to Strike: Arguments for Further Legal Protection and Regulatory Reform

In this thematic issue, the contributors demonstrate the past and contemporary relevance of a right to strike. Some authors do so with reference to the long-standing role that such an entitlement plays in protecting dignity, democracy, and other vital public interests. Attention is also paid to emerging contemporary issues, whereby the right to strike offers important leverage that would otherwise be absent, for example countering abusive treatment of those at work in global supply chain practices and the environmental degradation of the planet. They all conclude that, while it is possible to utilise existing legal protections of a right to strike that operate nationally, regionally, and internationally, it is also important to contemplate enhancement of existing legal and associated regulatory mechanisms. They address why this should be done and, accordingly, how this may be done.