Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Dec 1979

Vol. 317 No. 6

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Man-Days lost due to Labour Disputes.

32.

Mr. Mitchell

asked the Minister for Labour the estimated number of man-days lost due to labour disputes to date in 1979 and the actual figure for the three worst previous years.

Mr. G. Fitzgerald

The Central Statistics Office is the offical source of statistics relating to man-days lost due to industrial disputes. Statistics are not yet available from that office in relation to disputes which took place during 1979. My Department estimates, however, that approximately 1,352,000 man-days were lost through industrial disputes during the first nine months of 1979 1,118,000 of which were accounted for by the postal dispute.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I am circulating, for inclusion in the official report, a table giving the figures for each year since 1923.

Year	Total Man-Days Lost	Year	Total Man-Days Lost
1923	1,208,734	1951	545,133
1924	301,705	1952	529,089
1925	293,792	1953	82,046
1926	85,345	1954	66,734
1927	64,020	1955	236,324
1928	54,292	1956	48,069
1929	101,397	1957	92,040
1930	77,417	1958	126,143
1931	310,199	1959	124,479
1932	42,152	1960	80,349
1933	200,126	1961	377,264
1934	180,080	1962	104,024
1935	288,077	1963	233,617
1936	185,623	1964	545,384
1937	1,754,949	1965	556,475
1938	208,784	1966	783,635
1939	106,476	1967	182,645
1940	152,076	1968	405,686
1941	77,133	1969	935,900
1942	115,039	1970	1,007,714
1943	61,807	1971	273,770
1944	38,308	1972	206,955
1945	243,932	1973	206,725
1946	150,108	1974	551,833
1947	449,438	1975	295,716
1948	258,166	1976	776,949
1949	273,151	1977	442,145
1950	216,505	1978	624,266

Mr. Mitchell

What was the worst figure in the past ten years?

Mr. G. Fitzgerald

The worst year was 1970.

Mr. Mitchell

In view of the fact that in the first nine months of this year 1.3 million man-days were lost does the Minister not consider that that is the arithmetic of failure and that he should be ashamed that this has happened under him as Minister for Labour? What does he propose to do in an effort to reduce the number of man-days lost in the future?

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy is going into matters he should not go into.

Mr. Mitchell

The Minister for Labour is not the only one responsible but I want to know what he is going to do to reduce this terrible figure which has been reached under his regime?

Mr. G. Fitzgerald

That is the usual sort of stuff that can be expected from Deputy Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell

The country will expect more than a peremptory reply on this matter.

An Ceann Comhairle

Order, please.