a management action resisting employee's demands; employees are barred from entering the workplace until they agree to terms
"After failing to reach an agreement on wages, the company initiated a lockout that prevented all workers from returning to their desks for three days."
The opposite of a strike; a labor disruption where management refuses to allow workers into a plant to work even if they are willing.
"After the union voted against the new contract, the company declared a lockout by barring all employees from entering the factory until negotiations resumed."