HC Deb 15 December 1967 vol 756 cc246-7W
Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd

asked the Minister of Labour (1) what is the estimated loss of man-days from strikes and lay-offs in the motor industry in the last annual period, including strikes each involving less than 100 working days and loss of days through strikes in other establishments;

(2)whether he will make arrangements for a record to be kept of man-days lost in British industry including those lost by strikes and lay-offs involving less than 100 working days and those lost by strikes elsewhere; and what ratio he estimates such a complete total would bear to the official total as now compiled;

(3)what was the total of man-days lost, in the last annual period, by strikes or lay-offs, each involving less than 100 working days;

(4)what is the estimated loss of man-days caused to British industry by the recent dock strike;

(5)what was the total of man-days lost by establishments in the last annual period through strikes or lay-offs which occurred elsewhere than at those establishments.

Mr. Hattersley

The practice for many years has been to exclude from the published statistics stoppages involving fewer than ten workers or lasting less than one day (unless in either case the aggregate number of working days lost exceeds 100). I intend to continue this practice because to include these stoppages would involve a disproportionate amount of extra work both for employers and for the Ministry of Labour staff. Additionally, comparability with previous periods would be lost.

For similar reasons I cannot make comprehensive estimates of the time lost at establishments other than those at which stoppages occur. I cannot therefore estimate the total man-days lost by establishments in the last annual period through strikes or lay-offs which occurred elsewhere. Nor can I make an estimate of the loss of man-days to British industry in general as a result of the recent dock strike.

Exceptionally, an attempt is made to estimate the time lost through such repercussions in the motor vehicle industry. It is estimated that about 600,000 working days were lost in 1966 at establishments other than those at which the stoppages included in the statistics occurred. This figure compares with 344,000 days lost at establishments where stoppages occurred.