Strikes and Collective Bargaining in the Nordic Countries

Abstract

This article analyses the different strike profiles in the Nordic countries, with particular stress on the role of collective bargaining. First, it compares working days lost during the past couple of decades in a broad sample of European countries. Denmark, Norway and Sweden are identified as belonging to a `middle' group, while Finland is an outlier. Second, it analyses the number of strikes, which shows enormous differences between the Nordic countries. Possible methodological explanations are considered, but mostly rejected; instead, the causes are located in the historical development of collective bargaining, and in details concerning the peace obligation and local bargaining practices. The recent dramatic fall in working days lost in most other European countries is found also in Finland and Sweden, but not in Denmark and Norway. The research emphasizes factors such as unemployment, workplace reforms and local bargaining. The conclusions are also related to previous findings from the comparative analysis of industrial conflict.