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The number of strikes in the UK rose 45 per cent last year, due in part to a growing number of protests over zero-hour contracts.
According to data from law firm EMW, there were 96 cases of direct action across the public and private sectors in 2018/19, up from 66 in 2017/18.
Read more: Rail strike: Union writes to South Western to restart talks as commuters complain of hell
Despite this, the research showed that the overall number of working days lost to industrial action has dropped 66% over the last year, from 321,100 in 2017/18 to 109,400 in 2018/19.
EMW said that this may be driven by fewer strikes at very large employers.
The company added that this number could yet rise due to the ongoing South Western Railway strike and cases of direct action at universities across the country.
There is also a two-day strike over pay and staffing levels planned at some Northern Irish hospitals this week.
Other prominent cases of direct action is recent months came from staff at the People’s Vote campaign, who walked out over senior staffing changes.
A number of strikes have been over the use of controversial zero-hour contracts. Last month staff at University College London and McDonald’s both demonstrated against the employment measures.
In September, pilots at British Airways began extensive strikes against pay conditions, which cost the airline tens of millions of pounds a day in cancelled flights.
Last month it was announced that a provisional pay settlement had been agreed with BA’s pilots.
Jon Taylor, Principal at EMW, says: “Workers are finding new and inventive ways to voice their grievances on a mass scale.”
Read more: Royal Mail wins High Court injunction to prevent potential postal strike
“Social media is being used as an effective tool to cut out the need for a trade union and immediately connect workers. This has helped mobilize swift strike action.”
“There could be even more days lost to strikes with more and more inventing new forms of protest, such as unofficial strike action through sick leave.”
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