Strikebreakers are staff hired to take on the job task of workers who have gone on strike.
A strikebreaker is meant as a temporary replacement for a striker until the strike is called-off and the employee goes back to work.
But they are also often hired permanently after having demonstrated competency in the work they do, and when they are judged to share the same corporate culture required to do well in the company.
Either that, or short term contracts would be offered until their performance can be observed and assessed over an extended period of time.
Then the management would have to make a decision of converting the contract worker to a permanent one.
These types of manpower can be essential for a company to keep operations running. Otherwise, it might not be able to meet production numbers
This can lead to losses in both opportunity costs and potential liability claims from customers who did not receive delivery of products ordered.
Because strikes are static risks, there are actually insurance policies to insure a business against losses incurred due to strikes by workers and unions.
Labour-intensive industries might find it necessary to purchase such coverage to manage risks.
Temp job positions are usually offered to those who are unemployed but have the necessary skills to do the required job.
But big companies can often gain access to strikebreakers when they have related companies in the same industry.
In this case, employees of a related company would be temporarily transferred to cover for the work of a striker, and be transferred back to the original employer until a resolution can be reached to settle the employment dispute.
Depending on the jobscope that replacements would have to undertake, strikebreakers can be both easy and tough to source.
For example, if employees with technical skills went on strike, then it could be very difficult to find replacements. And if those who went on strike do not need any specialist skills or qualifications, then sometimes even homemakers might be able to work as strikebreakers.
Employment agencies can often provide the necessary number of strikebreakers to a company due to the huge amount of jobseekers they have on file.
