Sharp fall in working time lost to disputes

(First Edition)

THE AMOUNT of working time lost in Britain through disputes has fallen dramatically. According to figures disclosed yesterday only 34 days were lost per 1,000 employees in 1991 compared with 83 in 1990 and 1,278 in 1984.

The European Community's statistical office in Luxembourg says that days lost between 1987- 91 average 126 per 1,000 employees - a 70 per cent drop compared with 1982-86, when Britain had one of the worst EC records for industrial strikes.

Ireland and Italy also show large reductions. Ireland's average in the second half of the 1980s was 186 days lost, a 59 per cent fall, while Italy lost 275 days, a 61 per cent drop compared with 1982-86.

In stark contrast, strikes and disputes have soared in Greece and Spain, with 939 days lost in Greece in 1987-91, a 72 per cent rise compared with the previous five years. Spain's figure of 677 lost days is an 11 per cent increase, against the general trend.

Throughout the EC 6.3 million workers took part in industrial disputes in 1991, a rise of more than 30 per cent compared with 4.7 million in 1990. Nevertheless, the number of working days lost per 1,000 employees fell from 151 to 103.

Between 1982 and 1986 Britain and Italy had the highest incidence of stoppages in the industrial sector but now show huge falls (85 per cent in Britain and 64 per cent in Italy).