Strike

 A few days ago in Gyeonggido, Korea, there was supposed to be a Bus Driver Strike. Although it got cancelled and I had no problems using public transport, I needed to get a taxi or stay at home without going to work if the strike happened as planned. Not only in Korea but in the whole world, strikes happen for various reasons. What's the history of strikes and what are the popular causes for the strikes? 

The history of strikes goes back to the late 1700s when the strike was first recorded officially. After this, strikes became common as an action to make a better working environment and to get their rights corrected. Strikes were active during the 1800s and this continues until now. 

A common way of the strike is stopping their work until the capitalist of the group, for example, a boss, agrees to accept what was suggested. In the case of Australia, when the public transport workers decide to have a strike, public transports function as normal but citizens don't need to pay for it. This makes citizens have no difficulties in using public transport and at the same time, the company won't get to make money from it. Like this, there are strikes all over the world for different reasons and they all happen in different ways. 

However, although a strike is an action to make sure the workers' rights are guaranteed, there are many obstacles to it. Workers who participate in the strike might need to worry about getting fired. Also, there are some countries that state that striking is illegal which can cause the workers who participated to get penalties. And in some countries, although striking is guaranteed as a legal right, a proper condition and reason should be mentioned and approved before the strike happens. Media also plays a huge role. In the case of Korea, it is extremely difficult to go on strike since 1) without a proper reason, the strike is illegal, and 2) citizens don't welcome the strikes. The reason why citizens have objection to strikes is that they themselves will experience inconvenience but as well as that, the media often stands on the side of the power and criticise the workers. 

It is true that with the strikes happening, the citizens can experience some inconvenience. However, it is an essential thing that people try to get their rights back with actions such as strikes. Still, it would be best if they can obtain their rights even without striking. Without the workers who are working in every sector of the world, the world won't be able to function normally so it is very important to keep the workers safe and appreciate them as much as possible. 



Reference

https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/labor

https://namu.wiki/w/%ED%8C%8C%EC%97%85

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