§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers have been dismissed after striking for longer than eight weeks in each year since 1997; and which companies were involved in each case. [146830]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThis information is not collated in official statistics. Protections were established by the Employment Relations Act 1999 against unfair dismissal for striking workers for an eight-week period from the start of official, lawfully organised industrial action. Only one case that we are aware of, that of Mr J. Daviesv. Friction Dynamics, has arisen under the jurisdiction and an employment tribunal found in favour of the workers. Analyses by the Office of National Statistics suggest that over a three-year period 93 per cent. of strikes lasted less than eight weeks.