Las Huelgas En Empresas Del Sector Privado En Chile: 1979-1999

This is a descriptive study that examines the principal characteristics of the universe of private sector labor strikes that took place in Chile from 1979 to 1999. It is based on information collected over 21 years concerning almost every strike that occurred during that period. The article’s main objectives are: a) to detect characteristics and trends as to the number of strikes, workers involved, working days and man-days lost, and b) present hypothetical explanations for the findings. Perhaps the most important contribution of this paper is to provide scientifically -collected and processed information, so far unpublished, about the reality of workers' strikes in Chile. This information should be useful to improve labor legislation and labor management relations. Remarkable differences in labor strike characteristics exist between the periods 1979-1989 (the last 11 years of the Military Government) and 1990-1999. The years of Presidents’ Aylwin and Frei Administrations). A second important finding is the annual decline in the average number of man-days of work lost during the 1990-1999 period, which is explained by a decrease in the average duration of strikes and not by a reduction number of workers involved. Other important conclusions are the slow but steady replacement of legal by illegal strikes and the close relationship between legal strikes and unionization.