[snarfybarfy]

I think this is brilliant!!

This gives political clout back to the normal people.

Cleaners and trash disposal workers on strike for 2 months?? Country comes to a standstill.

Investment bankers on strike for 2 years? Nobody noticed except for retirees that get more pension benefits.

[jusssi]

In reality though, cleaners and trash disposal workers can't probably afford 2 weeks without salary.

Investment bankers might be able to afford 2 years, but I think they'd rather get paid too.

[Erwin]

Unions here have a "strike budget" where if the union supports the strike, they pay a portion of your salary. Some can also give you loans.

[jusssi]

Yes, they do. But for many low paid jobs, you need all of your salary to make the ends meet. And the unions don't have unlimited budgets either.

One of the major reasons why strikes typically last only a couple of days, is that the unions start losing their support when their members' personal financial loss exceeds the perceived importance of the issue.