§ 84. Mr. Tim SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many strikes there have been(a) in the public sector and (b) in the private sector on average over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NichollsIn the 10 years to 1988 the annual average of recorded stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in the public sector was 541 while in the private sector the average was 720. These statistics exclude stoppages of work involving fewer than 10 workers or lasting less than one day unless the total number of working days lost in the stoppage is greater than 100. This exclusion will have a smaller effect on the public sector figures where the negotiating groups tend to be larger.