industrial action

American

noun

Chiefly British.

job action.

industrial action British

noun

any action, such as a strike or go-slow, taken by employees in industry to protest against working conditions, redundancies, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The breaking of parity for some jobs in recent years had led to strikes and other industrial action.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

The industrial action caused severe disruption across the capital's transport network, with many Londoners getting around by e-bike instead.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told the BBC the government "categorically" did not change its deal with resident doctors to end ongoing industrial action over pay and jobs.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Karen said the industrial action would be "affecting the sick and the vulnerable - people they are supposed to be helping".

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

A threat was recently made by the representatives of the miners that industrial action would be taken unless the Government at once withdrew all troops from Russia and abandoned conscription.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, June 4, 1919. by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023