HC Deb 18 April 1989 vol 151 c154W
122. Mr. Patnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many working days were lost through strike action in the first quarter of 1989; and what were the comparable figures for the previous 10 years.

Mr. Nicholls

For the latest three-month period for which data is available, ending February 1989, it is provisionally estimated that 135,000 working days were lost through stoppages of work due to industrial disputes. Figures for comparable periods in the previous 10 years, together with the latest figure, are shown in the table.

Working days lost in the three months ending February
Year Number
1979 5,933,000
1980 6,219,000
1981 778,000
1982 1,721,000
1983 1,184,000
1984 983,000
1985 6,235,000
1986 685,000
1987 1,914,000
1988 820,000
1989 135,000