Strikes have been examined from a variety of theoretical perspectives and at different levels of analysis. But for various reasons associated with theoretical developments in industrial relations and sociology, inter-industry strike studies have been neglected. This article discusses these issues and argues for a new approach to strike analysis. It is one which concentrates on identifying strike patterns in different industries and emphasises the interplay between workplace characteristics and the institutional context. A theoretical framework is developed along these lines and then used to interpret the strike patterns characteristic of Broken Hill metal mining, New South Wales coal mining, the Queensland meat slaughtering and New South Wales furniture industries.
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