Le régime des décrets favorise-t-il la paix industrielle? L'expérience des activités manufacturières québécoises, 1980-1988

Using a cross-sectional analysis of 67 manufacturing activities (three digit classification) in Quebec and considering 676 work stoppages which have occurred at the time of a contract renewal between 1980 and 1988, the authors' findings suggest that the "regime des decrets" has a significant impact on strike activity. Contrary to what has often been stated until now according to descriptive statistical methods the impact found is that the "regime" increases this activity. This increase has been found for both the equations using the incidence (number of strikes per thousand employees) and the intensity (number of working days lost per employee). Briefly stated, the measure of the strike and the explanatory variable taking into account the fact that a "decret" is in force in a manufacturing activity, are positively and significantly related, everything else being held constant.