Daily Chart: Who strikes the most? Following a week of strikes in Europe, our research team totted up the countries worst hit by industrial action in 2009. Curiously, Canada topped the chart - and by a huge margin. via theeconomist: bespangled
Huh - I’m guessing this is likely because of widespread strikeage at government agencies and Crown corporations in 2009 (actually, always). Governments here have gotten pretty good at staring down government unions when they make steep demands, particularly in times of low revenue and high unemployment.
In 2009, I can think of a paramedics strike in BC (just a nominal strike, because they’re an essential service), a Via Rail strike (pretty sure this was on a rolling basis), and a Toronto garbage collection strike (this must have been pretty suboptimal).
Really not sure how much this sort of strike affects the economy - obviously it is not great, but they’re not as paralyzing as a teachers’ strike or a bus drivers’ strike (or something like an auto workers’ strike in the private sector). They’re definitely not the kind of violent and paralyzing strikes seen recently in South Africa, France, and Greece. We’re usually a pretty polite and reasonable people.
