asked the Minister for Labour the number of working days lost through strikes and stoppages during the half year to 30 June 1979 with comparative figures for the previous three years.
Written Answers. - Lost Working Days.
57.
The Central Statistics Office is the official source of statistics relating to man-days lost due to industrial disputes. Statistics published by that office show that for the first six months of each of the last three years the figures for man-days lost due to industrial disputes are as follows: 1976, 173, 912; 1977, 242, 640; 1978, 280, 250.
Central Statistics Office figures are not available in respect of the first six months of 1979, but my Department estimates that about 1,308,000 man-days were lost during that period, of which 1,117,500 were accounted for by the postal dispute and 190,500 by other disputes.