Definition

Noun: 1. A work stoppage initiated by management: An action by an employer to prevent employees from entering their place of work. This is typically done during a labor dispute to pressure workers into accepting the employer's terms and conditions.

Usage

A lockout is a specific type of industrial action. It is the opposite of a strike, where employees refuse to work. In a lockout, the employer refuses to allow employees to work. * The company imposed a lockout after negotiations over the new contract broke down. * During the lockout, the factory gates remained closed to all unionized workers.

Advanced Usage

• To impose/enforce a lockout: To initiate and carry out a lockout.
  • The management threatened to impose a lockout if the union did not accept their final offer.
• To be (placed) in/under lockout: To be in the state of being locked out.
  • The workers have been under lockout for three weeks.

Variants and Related Words

• Lock out (phrasal verb): The action of preventing entry.
  • The company decided to lock out its employees.

Synonyms

• Shutdown (in an industrial context)
• Work stoppage (initiated by management)

Antonyms

• Strike (a work stoppage initiated by employees)

Noun

1. a management action resisting employee's demands; employees are barred from entering the workplace until they agree to terms