When workers' grumbling turns into a decision to go on strike, they are using the power they have to halt the flow of profits. Production lines stop, offices don't run, buses and trains don't operate. In the case of the Dudley health workers their strike affects the provision of key services in the hospital. Strike action can have a massive impact because of the way production is integrated in the global economy. Workers striking in South Africa and South Korea can be an inspiration to workers in Britain to fight against their own conditions.
Strikes can also have a further impact.
They are a break from the old routine of dragging yourself into work. Many strikers begin to organise picket lines themselves and run strike meetings. In this way the experience of being on strike can raise workers' confidence. Strike action can also raise wider questions about the world. These can be issues like the way the law is used to stop workers striking, why the media take the bosses' side, whether the union leaders are supporting the action, and what democracy means as people begin to ask who has real power in society.