Abstract

This entry addresses the phenomenon known as a “strike.” It provides a brief introduction to the history and development of strikes in general. Then, it describes the conceptual underpinnings and the sociological and ethical aspects of four different types of strikes: (1) general or “mass” strikes; (2) “capital” strikes; (3)“essential” strikes, which includes a section devoted to physician strikes; and (4) “hunger” strikes. This entry stresses the importance of understanding strikes and their related phenomena as specific incidences, each having its own unique biopsychosocial context, without which the process of ethical analysis cannot proceed. It discusses some of the ethical aspects of strikes in general, and identifies those contextual features that are pertinent to assessing the ethical dimension in each type of strike. It concludes that: [a] ethical analyses of strikes must be contextually thorough, [b] the ethical justification of particular strike actions will continue to undergo questioning and debate and [c] while the right to strike is conditional because it must compete with various other conflicting rights, it is also necessary, for without it the ability to negotiate the boundaries of power relationships along the continuum between freedom and justice would be lost.