Working Week (Hansard, 9 April 1974)

§ Mr. Redmond
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the

AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS WORKED—FULL-TIME WORKERS

1968 Standard Industrial Classification Order Group Minimum List Heading Men 21 years and over Women 18 years and over

Mining and quarrying (except coal mining) … II — 48.8 ^*

Motor vehicle manufacturing … — 381 43.0 37.9

Mechanical engineering … VII — 44.6 38.1

Instrument engineering … VIII — 43.9 38.2

Electrical engineering … IX — 44.0 37.4

Spinning and doubling on the cotton and flax systems … — 412 45.1 37.9

Weaving of cotton, linen and man-made fibres … — 413 42.8 37.5

Construction … XX — 47.2 37.2

^*The numbers returned were too small to provide a satisfactory basis for a general average.

This inquiry does not cover coal mining, and the National Coal Board does not maintain records of hours worked from which directly corresponding October figures for coal mining could be calculated.
The New Earnings Survey estimate for full-time manual men in coal mining in Great Britain in April 1973, excluding those whose pay for the survey reference week was affected by absence, was 42.3 hours. This figure was obtained by adding together averages of 5.2 overtime hours and of 37.1 normal basic hours derived from the returns for individual employees in the survey sample. Corresponding figures for other industries are given in Table 53 on page 1133 of the November 1973 issue of the Department of Employment Gazette.

§ Mr. Redmond
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the length of the average working week at the last convenient date before the recent mining dispute and at the latest avail- 86W average number of hours worked in the latest convenient week before the recent mining dispute in the following industries: mining, motor car manufacture, other engineering, cotton textile spinning and weaving, and building and construction; and how this information was obtained.

§ Mr. Booth
The information has been obtained from the annual October inquiry into the earnings and hours of manual workers in the United Kingdom in manufacturing and certain other industries. The results are analysed by industry order group and by minimum list heading.
Following is the information in respect of the second pay-week in October 1973.
able date; and what were the corresponding figures for each of the last 10 years.

§ Mr. Booth
The following information has been obtained from the Department's regular October inquiry into the earnings and hours of manual workers in the United Kingdom in manufacturing and certain other industries. The October 1973 figures are the latest available.

AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS WORKED ALL INDUSTRIES AND SERVICES COVERED—FULL-TIME WORKERS

Men 21 years and over Women 18 years and over

October

1973 45.6 37.7

1972 45.0 37.9

1971 44.7 37.7

1970 45.7 37.9

1969 46.5 38.1

1968 46.4 38.3

1967 46.2 38.2

1966 46.0 38.1

1965 47.0 38.7

1964 47.7 39.4

1963 47.6 39.7

87W

AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS WORKED—FULL-TIME WORKERS
1968 Standard Industrial Classification	Order Group	Minimum List Heading	Men 21 years and over	Women 18 years and over
Mining and quarrying (except coal mining)	…	II	—	48.8	^*
Motor vehicle manufacturing	…	—	381	43.0	37.9
Mechanical engineering	…	VII	—	44.6	38.1
Instrument engineering	…	VIII	—	43.9	38.2
Electrical engineering	…	IX	—	44.0	37.4
Spinning and doubling on the cotton and flax systems	…	—	412	45.1	37.9
Weaving of cotton, linen and man-made fibres	…	—	413	42.8	37.5
Construction	…	XX	—	47.2	37.2
^*The numbers returned were too small to provide a satisfactory basis for a general average.

AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS WORKED ALL INDUSTRIES AND SERVICES COVERED—FULL-TIME WORKERS
	Men 21 years and over	Women 18 years and over
October
1973	45.6	37.7
1972	45.0	37.9
1971	44.7	37.7
1970	45.7	37.9
1969	46.5	38.1
1968	46.4	38.3
1967	46.2	38.2
1966	46.0	38.1
1965	47.0	38.7
1964	47.7	39.4
1963	47.6	39.7