This section presents statistics on industrial disputes involving the loss of ten working days or more at the establishments where stoppages occurred. Working days lost refers to working days lost by workers directly or indirectly involved in disputes at those establishments.
The number of working days lost per year, and the number of employees involved, have fluctuated from year to year, but have demonstrated a significant downward trend over the last two decades (graph 6.48). The number of working days lost in 2000 was 469,100, a decrease of over 28% on the 1999 outcome. Over the same period the total number of employees involved in industrial disputes (either directly or indirectly) decreased by almost 30% (table 6.49).
6.49 NUMBER OF DISPUTES AND EMPLOYEES INVOLVED
|
| | Disputes |  | Employees involved | |
|
| |
| |
| Year | Commenced
in year
no. | Total
no. | | Newly involved(a)
’000 | Total
’000 | Working days lost
’000 |
|
| 1995 | 635 | 643 | | 335.4 | 344.3 | 547.6 |
| 1996 | 539 | 543 | | 575.9 | 577.7 | 928.5 |
| 1997 | 444 | 447 | | 315.0 | 315.4 | 534.2 |
| 1998 | 516 | 519 | | 347.8 | 348.4 | 526.3 |
| 1999 | 727 | 731 | | 460.7 | 461.1 | 650.5 |
| 2000 | 686 | 698 | | 324.4 | 325.4 | 469.1 |
|
| (a) Comprises workers involved in disputes which commenced during the year and additional workers involved in disputes which continued from the previous year. |
Source: Industrial Disputes, Australia (6321.0). |
Table 6.50 shows that the overall decrease of 181,400 in working days lost between 1999 and 2000 was primarily due to a fall in disputation in Education; Health and community services industries (down 114,000 working days lost), Construction (down 56,300), and Metal products; Machinery and equipment manufacturing (down 36,100).
6.50 WORKING DAYS LOST, By Industry(a) |
|
| Industry | 1995
’000 | 1996
’000 | 1997
’000 | 1998
’000 | 1999
’000 | 2000
’000 |
|
| Mining - | | | | | | |
| -Coal | 111.1 | 160.8 | 95.7 | 60.4 | 26.0 | 37.3 |
| -Other | 78.0 | 4.4 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 3.8 |
| Manufacturing - | | | | | | |
| -Metal products; Machinery and equipment | 54.8 | 58.6 | 76.9 | 27.5 | 104.3 | 68.2 |
| -Other | 105.1 | 44.8 | 68.7 | 67.7 | 80.3 | 78.0 |
| Construction | 42.7 | 334.8 | 107.8 | 210.9 | 165.1 | 108.8 |
| Transport and storage; Communication services | 38.6 | 20.4 | 47.7 | 52.8 | 20.3 | 26.2 |
| Education; Health and community services | 70.9 | 239.8 | 94.0 | 75.8 | 224.1 | 110.1 |
| Other industries(b) | 46.3 | 64.9 | 42.1 | 29.8 | 28.4 | 36.6 |
| All industries | 547.6 | 928.5 | 534.2 | 526.3 | 650.5 | 469.1 |
|
(a) Classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC).
(b) Includes: Agriculture, forestry and fishing; Electricity, gas and water supply; Wholesale trade; Retail trade; Accommodation, cafes and restaurants; Finance and insurance; Property and business services; Government administration and defence; Cultural and recreational services; and Personal and other services. |
Source: Industrial Disputes, Australia (6321.0). |
There were 61 working days lost per thousand employees in 2000, compared to 87 working days lost per thousand employees in 1999 (graph 6.51). This fall was due to large falls in NSW (down 62 working days lost per thousand employees) and Victoria (down 45). Victoria (71 working days lost per thousand employees), Western Australia (68), NSW (64) and Queensland (64) recorded the highest number of working days lost per thousand employees in 2000, while Tasmania (7), the Northern Territory (9) and the ACT (9) recorded the lowest number of working days lost per thousand employees.
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