Generally true to say demands for either improved pay and conditions is assumed automatically to be a bad thing, where a company hiking up it's prices etc is just another commercial decision.

Workers have every right in my opinion to request pay rises and to withdraw their labour if they are not satisfied with their remuneration - what they can't justifiably do is blame others if their actions result in the loss of their jobs

As regards conditions then I'm not convinced, the growth in the Health and Safety industry would suggest that demands for better conditions is not automatically assumed to be a "bad thing"