is an organized work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to perform work. and usually takes place in response to employee grievances. The use of the English word strike first appeared in 1768, when sailors, in support of demonstrations in London, struck or removed the topgallant sails of merchant ships at port, thus crippling the ships. Strikes are sometimes used to put pressure on governments to change policies. Occasionally, strikes destabilize the rule of a particular political party. The Strike Action is the weapon of the workers most associated with industrial disputes, and certainly among the most powerful. In most countries, strikes are legal under a circumscribed set of conditions.