89 has NOTHING to do with the current situation. Anyone who thinks it does has not moved with the times.
Provided you comply with the laws of the land (something that didn't happen in 1989), you cannot be sacked if you engage in lawful Protected Industrial Action.
And no union leader in his right mind would EVER advocate resigning as an industrial tactic.
That is not to say that an employer cannot attempt to escalate a dispute to get a union to do something silly. That is the main risk. But provided cool heads remain, PIA remains the ONLY way a workforce can get its point across in times like these.