ABSTRACT
Strikes are sometimes explained by relating them firstly to one or more general characteristics of jobs, workplaces, or work communities. In process production, the controls become more automatic or mechanical, and the pressure drops again; moreover, workers may resent authority less when it is exercised as much by the process as by other people. Process production also entails smaller working groups, an increased ratio of supervision to operators, and a lesser need for labour economy—all considered conducive to peaceful industrial relations. Strikes in large units are considered to be associated with what may appear to workers as remote, inflexible, and unsympathetic managements. The relation between attitudes and social action remains imprecise, and complaints from workers about boredom or constant repetition often arise under conditions where they might more appropriately be classified as part of the preparatory ritual of workplace bargaining anyway. Strikes, absenteeism, accidents and labour turnover all involve withdrawal from particular workplace situations.
