Financial support for strikers

Unions have in the past – and may do so more in the future – established strike “hardship funds” from central resources to help support those who lose pay by going on strike.

During the successful Scottish FE strike (see page 63), the union ran a targeted strike hardship fund for those most in need, aimed, for example, at part-time lecturers whose work timetable coincided with the strike action.

As part of its response to the TUA 16, general union Unite has announced a new £35 million strike fund. (The union has also changed its rules, to remove the words “so far as may be lawful”, so as to allow it to take action to defend its members’ rights even if it is forced outside of the law by the TUA 16.)

Another option is to raise a strike levy from members to support those taking action. One effective way of using it in a large-scale dispute would be to only call on groups of members with the organisation and leverage to impact on the employer’s business to take action, but to raise the levy from all those affected by the dispute. This was used some years ago in successful action to win a 35-hour week in the engineering sector.