Akademik

(TEK.noh stryk)

n.

A labour action in which union members and supporters inundate a company with e-mail messages, faxes, and Web site hits in an effort to shut down the electronic portion of the company's business.

A 21st century style of picketing was practised to mark the second anniversary of the UK's longest currently running industrial dispute at Critchley Labels, Croespenmaen, near Newport.

Last Friday, members of the Communication Workers Union and its international sister organisations attempted to flood the company's e- mail addresses, faxes and web sites in order to disrupt business.

The CWU calls the action a "techno-strike", aimed at Critchley's sites in south Wales as well as Nottingham, Cirencester and Gloucester and 12 overseas factories.

— Sandrine Bradley and Jim Larkin, "Suffocation by cyberspace," Printing World, February 8, 1999

The age of the techno-strike has arrived.

At a time when strikers are becoming a rare and endangered species, those few workers in dispute are resorting to highly unusual methods.

Last Friday, the first anniversary of their industrial action, workers at Critchley Labels at Croespenmaen in south east Wales called for an "electronic picket" of the plant.

For 24 hours sister organisations of the British Communication Workers Union throughout the world 'jammed' the company's faxes, e-mail addresses and Internet web sites to stop the business receiving orders.

— Barrie Clement, "Flying pickets on the superhighway," The Independent, February 8, 1998