§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many cases of industrial action involving random one-day strikes called over a period have taken place; and in how many cases the period of random action has exceeded eight weeks, in each year from 1993 to 1998; [69563]
(2) in how many cases industrial actions in the form of strikes have extended beyond eight weeks in each year from 1993 to 1998. [69564]
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 8 February 1999]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 9 February 1999:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary questions on industrial action in each year from 1993 to 1998.
I am unable to provide information in the form requested. The duration of a dispute is classed as the total number of days of strike action, not the length of time the parties were in dispute. I have provided information on this basis in the attached tables.
Table 1
The following table shows the number of stoppages beginning in each year from 1993 to 1997, which involved forty days or more of strike action1, whether or not these covered consecutive working days.
200W
Year Stoppages beginning in year 1993 7 1994 2 1995 8 1996 4 1997 3 19982 n/a 1 It is assumed that an eight week period includes forty working days. The duration of a dispute is classed as the total number of days of strike action, not the length of time the parties were in dispute. 2 Provisional data for 1998 will be available mid-March 1999, final data for 1998 will be available mid-April 1999. Table 2
The following table shows the number of stoppages in progress, in each year from 1993 to 1997, which did not exceed one day in duration.
Year Stoppages in progress 1993 119 1994 118 1995 139 1996 118 1997 106 19981 n/a 1 Provisional data for 1998 will be available mid-March 1999, final data for 1998 will be available mid-April 1999.