Strikes and the law; the problems of legal intervention in labour disputes

This paper sets out some of the background to the provisions in the Labour Relations Act 1987 that regulate the right of trade unions to strike and that set out the legal consequences that apply if a strike is contrary to the provisions of the Act. These issues are discussed with an emphasis on some of the difficulties that existed before 1987. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the policy options available to the Goverment at that time and of the various submissions and proposals made by the major parties. The provisions in the Labour Relations Act and their application in practice are dealt with in a second paper in this symposium (Hughes and Anderson, 1988)