asked the Minister for Labour if he will make a statement on the latest available statistics on man days lost in the various categories resulting from industrial relations disputes.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Industrial Disputes.
20.
The latest available statistics compiled by my Department on days lost through industrial disputes relates to the period January to September 1986.
The Department do not compile statistics on an industry or sector basis. The Central Statistics Office is the offical source of statistics relating to industrial disputes but official and finalised figures are not yet available from that office in respect of that period.
My Department estimate that in the period 1 January-30 September 1986, 226,500 man-days were lost through industrial disputes. Of these 216,500, 96 per cent, were due to official industrial action and 10,000, 4 per cent, were due to action classified as unofficial. Of the 226,500 man-days lost through industrial action 179,000, 79 per cent, of these were lost in the public sector and 47,500, 21 per cent, in the private sector.
Has the Minister any figures by way of comparison with previous years? I take it he is saying that over three-quarters of man-days lost now take place in the public service, that is, from January to June 1986?
From 1 January to 30 September 1986.
The nine month period.
Yes. The Deputy will be aware that the teachers' dispute in the first quarter at this year accounted for approximately 100,000 of the total days lost while the dispute at Dublin Corporation in the second quarter of the year accounted for over 50,000 days lost.
They are included in that figure?
Yes.