Strikebreaker definition

Strikebreakers, known pejoratively as scabs, are workers who continue to work during on-going strike action. Strikebreakers may be existing workers, those drafted in to plug the employment gap when other workers are striking, or those who cross picket lines in order to engage in employment.

Strikebreaking is seen as treachery by some workers who feel that the strikebreakers are siding with the organisation rather than the employees.

The term strikebreaking can also refer to actions and behaviours of companies that aim to counteract the strikers and either quell them (aggressive strikebreaking), convince them (propaganda-based strikebreaking, such as the Mohawk Valley formula) or reason with them and encourage them back to work (integrative negotiation).