1m working days lost to industrial disputes

10/06/2008

Businesses have called for action from the government after new figures revealed more than a million working days were lost to strike action in 2007.

The figure is up from 755,000 in 2006 – higher than the average number of working days lost during the 1990s, which stood at 660,000.

However, the number of industrial disputes was down from 2006 – from 158 to 142 in 2007.

The industry with the greatest number of strikes was transport, storage and communication, where 422 days were lost per 1,000 employees – up from just 25 days in 2006.

The North West was the region hit hardest by disputes, where 55 days were lost per 1,000 employees, compared to the East Midlands, where just 19 days were lost.

Wage disputes were the most common cause of strike action, with 684,000 days lost. The majority of remaining time was taken up by disputes over working hours.

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said the government could do more to prevent industrial action.

“In what is a tough economic climate, the staggering increase in the number of working days being lost to strike action will not come as good news to businesses already operating on tight margins,” he said.

“Industrial disputes have a direct impact on a business' day to day running and the Government needs to work much harder to improve its current handling of industrial relations.”