The right to strike varies considerably across Europe, often with specific rules and restrictions imposed on public service workers. The European Trade Union Institute has produced 35 country factsheets that explain the latest legal situation.
Each factsheet sets out the main legal basis for the right to strike, indicating which international standards the country has signed up to. It then runs through the main rules covering:
- who has the right to call a strike,
- definition of a strike,
- who may participate in a strike,
- procedural requirements, and
- legal consequences of participating in a strike.
The factsheet then looks at the case law of international and European bodies, including in particular the International Labour Organisation and Council of Europe.

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