A strike is an organized stoppage of labour by a group of workers, in order to help the union they belong to help barter for better wages, benefits, pensions, and working conditions. Similarly, the reasons for a strike revolve around the same issues, but generally a lack of fair wages, pensions, benefits and decent working conditions will cause a strike. A lockout is the opposite of a strike, where the employer refuses to provide work for their employees, also a bargaining tool used to negotiate in labour agreements. The Canadian government can force certain industies deemed necessary, back to work through legislation, as if some of these essential industries ceased to function Canada as a whole would suffer. Air Canada workers threatened to go on strike becasue of gradually decreased wages and benefits over the last two years, and finally came to an agreement with the employers when wages, benefits, pensions and crew rest hours were increased/settled upon. Canada post was striking because of a proposed eighteen percent wage reduction, and a "rollback on retirement age."