HC Deb 04 July 1974 vol 876 cc256-9W
Mr. Hayhoe

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many, and what percentage of, industrial disputes during each of the last 10 years had as their principal cause (a) demarcation, (b) recognition, (c) inter-union disputes and (d) sympathetic strikes and how many days were lost as a result, in each case.

Mr. Booth

Following is the information.

STOPPAGES OF WORK DUE TO INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES: UNITED KINGDOM
Demarcation(1) Recognition(2) Inter-Union(3) Sympathetic(4)
Year Number of stoppages beginning of year Percentage of total Working days lost in stoppages beginning in year (000s) Number of stoppages beginning of year Percentage of total Working days lost it stoppages beginning in year (000s) Number of stoppages beginning of year Percentage of total Working days lost in stoppages beginning in year (000s) Number of stoppages beginning of year Percentage of total Working days lost in stoppages beginning in year (000s)
1964 … … 61 2.4 56 18(5) 0.8(5) (6) 29 1.4 64 26 1.0 27
1965 … … 64 2.7 83 15 0.6 7
1966 … … 57 2.9 84 16 0.8 18
1967 … … 68 3.2 117 19 0.9 18 25 1.2 23 23 1.1 108
1968 … … 83 3.5 277 26 1.1 33 60 2.5 260 31 1.3 38
1969 … … 80 2.6 111 48 1.5 148 59 2.2 100 67 2.2 201
1970 … … 69 1.8 171 59 1.5 46 49 1.3 110 77 2.0 129
1971 … … 57 2.5 59 24 11 18 19 1.0 13 37 1.7 55
1972 … … 55 2.2 96 23 0.9 22 24 1.0 58 36 1.4 86
1973 … … 48 1.7 82 39 1.4 79 48 1.7 167 39 1.4 37
(1) Includes inter-union and intra-union disputes and disputes where no union is involved.
(2) Includes inter-union disputes and disputes where no union is recognised.
(3) All forms of inter-union disputes including recognition and demarcation disputes.
(4) In support of workers involved in stoppages at other establishments.
(5) Annual average for 1964–66 (from Report of Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations).
(6) Not available

Following the introduction of a new system of classification by cause, from January 1973, there is no longer a separate published category for demarcation disputes. The figures given for this category for 1973, and for recognition and inter-union disputes from 1967 onwards, are derived from a special departmental research exercise covering the years 1966 to 1973 and have not been published.