Stand up and make them do the right thing! Ein Arbeitskonflikt im prekären Dienstleistungsbereich Großbritanniens

The article analyses a case of industrial action at several British sites belonging to ISS, a global provider of facility services. It is shown how the case is embedded in the strike culture of Great Britain and the precarious service sector. The qualitative case study deals with an area that is generally considered to be neither well organised nor particularly strong in achieving demands. In addition, labour relations in Great Britain are characterised, after years of power struggles to the detriment of employees and their ability to take strike action, by neoliberal management hegemony. However, it becomes clear that even under these very difficult and rather defensive circumstances, it is possible to organise ‘combat zones’. Against this background, the article reaches a tentative generalisation. An important factor for success appears to be the strategy of various actors at different political levels to cooperate closely and to try to create a multitude of “pressure points”. Fundamental to each campaigning strategy is nevertheless the ability to mobilise employees for real action, which is ultimately rooted in ‘classical’ every-day-work of local union representation and organising.