Quarter | Year ended | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 2020 | December 2020 | December 2019 | December 2020 | ||
Number of disputes | |||||
Commenced in period (no.) | 19 | 27 | 135 | 71 | |
Total (no.) | 21 | 32 | 147 | 77 | |
Employees involved | |||||
Newly involved ('000) | 4.2 | 2.2 | 51.6 | 10.2 | |
Total ('000) | 4.3 | 2.6 | 53.2 | 11.4 | |
Working days lost ('000) | 11.7 | 16.5 | 64.4 | 33.5 |
Industrial Disputes, Australia
The number of disputes (strikes or lockouts), employees involved and working days lost; cause of dispute; duration; and the reason work resumed
Key statistics
In the December quarter 2020:
- 32 disputes occurred.
- 2,600 employees were involved and 16,500 working days lost.
- disputes occurred in 5 industries and in 7 states.
During the year ended December 2020, there were 77 disputes and a total of 33,500 working days lost.
Overview
In the December quarter 2020, there were:
- 32 disputes, 11 more than from the previous quarter.
- 2,600 employees involved, a decrease from 4,300 in the previous quarter.
- 16,500 working days lost, an increase from 11,700 in the previous quarter.
Year ended estimates:
- 77 disputes occurred, 70 less than in the previous year.
- 33,500 working days were lost, 48% less than the previous year.
Number of disputes | Employees involved | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced in period | Total | Newly involved | Total | Working days lost | |
no. | no. | '000 | '000 | '000 | |
December Quarter 2018 | 53 | 62 | 25.6 | 28.8 | 30.9 |
March Quarter 2019 | 32 | 44 | 7.8 | 9.3 | 16.6 |
June Quarter 2019 | 34 | 44 | 18.8 | 20.2 | 17.6 |
September Quarter 2019 | 35 | 43 | 16.8 | 17.5 | 17.8 |
December Quarter 2019 | 34 | 38 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 12.4 |
March Quarter 2020 | 17 | 23 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
June Quarter 2020 | 8 | 11 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.5 |
September Quarter 2020 | 19 | 21 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 11.7 |
December Quarter 2020 | 27 | 32 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 16.5 |
Long-term trends
The level of industrial disputation over recent years is considerably lower than in the 1980's and prior decades.
Industry
In the December quarter, disputes occurred in five industries. More than seven in ten (76%) working days lost were in the Transport, postal and warehousing industry.
September Quarter 2020 | December Quarter 2020 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Working days lost | Working days lost per thousand employees | Working days lost | Working days lost per thousand employees | ||
'000 | no. | '000 | no. | ||
Mining | |||||
Coal mining | - | - | - | - | |
Other mining | - | - | - | - | |
Manufacturing | |||||
Metal product etc (a) | - | - | np | np | |
Other manufacturing | 1.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 4.6 | |
Construction | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | |
Transport, postal and warehousing | 9.5 | 17.7 | 12.4 | 21.6 | |
Education and training; Health care and social assistance | - | - | - | - | |
Other industries (a) | 0.1 | - | np | np | |
All industries | 11.7 | 1.0 | 16.5 | 1.4 |
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
a. See Glossary - Industry - for details of industries included.
States and territories
Disputes occurred in seven states and territories in the December quarter, with more than seven in ten (75%) working days lost occurring in New South Wales.
September Quarter 2020 | December Quarter 2020 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Working days lost | Working days lost per thousand employees | Working days lost | Working days lost per thousand employees | ||
'000 | no. | '000 | no. | ||
NSW | 6.0 | 1.7 | 12.4 | 3.3 | |
Vic. | 3.6 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.7 | |
Qld | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | |
SA | np | np | 0.5 | 0.6 | |
WA | np | np | 0.6 | 0.5 | |
Tas. | np | np | np | np | |
NT | - | - | - | - | |
ACT | - | - | np | np | |
Australia | 11.7 | 1.0 | 16.5 | 1.4 |
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
Cause of dispute
Most industrial disputes are Enterprise Bargaining (EB) related. Over the past 10 years, disputes over employment conditions have generally been the most prevalent.
EB related issues were the cause of 69% of disputes (11 of 16) which ended in the September quarter 2020.
June Quarter 2020 | September Quarter 2020 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Number of Disputes | Total Employees Involved | Working days Lost | Total Number of Disputes | Total Employees Involved | Working days Lost | ||
no. | '000 | '000 | no. | '000 | '000 | ||
Enterprise Bargaining (EB) related | |||||||
Remuneration | - | - | - | 4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | |
Employment conditions (EB) | 3 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 7 | 0.9 | 6.4 | |
Other EB related | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Non-EB related | |||||||
Remuneration | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Employment conditions | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Health and safety | 3 | np | np | 2 | np | np | |
Job security | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Managerial policy | 1 | 0.1 | - | 1 | 0.1 | - | |
Union issues | 2 | np | np | 2 | np | np | |
Other Non EB related | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Total | 9 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 16 | 1.8 | 7.5 | |
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
Working days lost
Working days lost is a measure of the length of a dispute, relative to the number of employees involved.
Of the 16 disputes which ended in the September quarter, half lasted for a day or less. These disputes had:
- 800 total employees involved; and
- 500 working days lost.
June Quarter 2020 | September Quarter 2020 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Number of Disputes | Total Employees Involved | Working days Lost | Total Number of Disputes | Total Employees Involved | Working days Lost | ||
no. | '000 | '000 | no. | '000 | '000 | ||
Up to and including 1 day | 6 | np | np | 8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | |
Over 1 day and up to including 2 days | - | - | - | 1 | np | np | |
Over 2 and less than 5 days | 2 | np | np | 3 | np | np | |
5 and less than 10 days | - | - | - | 2 | np | np | |
10 days and over | 1 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 2 | np | np | |
Total | 9 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 16 | 1.8 | 7.5 | |
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
Reason work resumed
The reason work resumed relates to the last day of action taken. Resumption of work can occur without resolution to the issues that triggered the dispute.
There was a pre-determined return to work for 44% of disputes (7 of 16) which ended in the September quarter 2020.
June Quarter 2020 | September Quarter 2020 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Number of Disputes | Total Employees Involved | Working days Lost | Total Number of Disputes | Total Employees Involved | Working days Lost | ||
no. | '000 | '000 | no. | '000 | '000 | ||
Negotiation without intervention of a third party | 1 | np | np | 2 | np | np | |
State legislation | - | - | - | 2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | |
Federal legislation | - | - | - | 2 | np | np | |
Pre-determined return to work | 3 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 7 | np | np | |
Resumption without negotiation | 5 | np | np | 3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
Mediation | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Other reasons | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Total | 9 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 16 | 1.8 | 7.5 |
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
Inquiries
For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.
Data downloads
Table 1: Industrial disputes which occurred during the period
Table 2a: Industrial disputes which occurred during the period, working days lost, industry
Table 2b: Industrial disputes which occurred during the period, working days lost per thousand employees, industry
Table 3a: Industrial disputes which occurred during the period, working days lost, states and territories
Table 3b: Industrial disputes which occurred during the period, working days lost per thousand employees, states and territories
Table 4a: Industrial disputes which ended during the period, cause of dispute
Table 4b: Industrial disputes which ended during the period, working days lost per employee involved
Table 4c: Industrial disputes which ended during the period, reason work resumed
All data cubes
Previous catalogue number
This release previously used catalogue number 6321.0.55.001.