The right to strike is a keystone of modern industrial society. No society which lacks that right can be democratic. Any society which seeks to become democratic must secure that right. The question as to whether employees have a fundamental right to strike has been the object of considerable academic debate and is a point on which judicial opinions have continually been expressed. There is no doubt that workers throughout the world are alike in the sense that they desire recognition, satisfaction, fair wages and salaries, job security, redress of wrongs and good working conditions. But often the employer and the union (representing workers) find themselves in sharp disagreement. Such friction or disagreement gives rise to trade disputes and strikes. The right to strike is a crucial weapon in the armoury of organised labour. The right is a result of several years of struggle by the working class. The history of this struggle is one of constant class battles, fi erce reprisals by the management and the authorities against strikers and heroic self-sacrifi ce by workers. The right to strike has now been accepted as an indispensable component of a democratic society and a fundamental human right.