A lockout is a situation where an employer prevents employees from accessing their workplace either deliberately or due to a labor dispute. There are several different words and phrases that can be used in place of lockout, including work stoppage, shutdown, out of service, closed down, and industrial action. Each of these phrases is commonly used in the context of a strike, in which employees stop working in order to protest unfair labor practices or negotiate better working conditions. While there are many synonyms for lockout, all of them refer to a situation in which employees are unable to work due to the actions of their employer or as a result of a labor dispute.