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Industrial Disputes, Australia

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The number of disputes (strikes or lockouts), employees involved and working days lost; cause of dispute; duration; and the reason work resumed

Reference period
June 2023
Released
14/09/2023

Key statistics

In the June quarter 2023:

  • 71 disputes occurred.
  • 10,500 employees were involved and 10,200 working days lost.
  • disputes occurred in 7 industries and in 8 states and territories.

During the year ended June 2023, there were 213 disputes and a total of 67,100 working days lost.

 QuarterYear ended
  Mar Quarter 2023Jun Quarter 2023Jun Quarter 2022Jun Quarter 2023
Number of disputes (no.)    
 New3357143203
 Total 4171154213
Employees involved ('000)    
 New4.19.6143.753.3
 Total 4.710.5145.354.3
Working days lost ('000) 7.710.2234.667.1

Overview

In the June quarter 2023, there were:

  • 71 disputes, 30 more than the previous quarter.
  • 10,500 employees involved, an increase from 4,700 in the previous quarter.
  • 10,200 working days lost, an increase from 7,700 in the previous quarter.

Year ended estimates:

  • 213 disputes occurred, 59 more than in the previous year.
  • 67,100 working days were lost, 167,500 less than in the previous year.

Industrial Disputes which occurred during the quarter
 Number of disputesEmployees involvedWorking days lost 
 New (no.)Total (no.)New ('000)Total ('000)('000)
June Quarter 202130366.06.410.4
September Quarter 2021395011.713.318.5
December Quarter 2021375550.657.268.5
March Quarter 2022223010.111.419.6
June Quarter 2022455271.273.7128.1
September Quarter 2022607021.222.228.1
December Quarter 2022536818.421.621.0
March Quarter 202333414.14.77.7
June Quarter 202357719.610.510.2

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 June quarter, disputes occurred in seven industries.  Over a third (37%) of the total working days lost were in the Construction industry.

Industrial disputes which occurred during the quarter, industry
 March Quarter 2023June Quarter 2023
  Working days lost ('000)Working days lost per thousand employees (no.)Working days lost ('000)Working days lost per thousand employees (no.)
Mining    
 Coal mining----
 Other miningnpnpnpnp
Manufacturing    
 Metal product etc (a)2.26.60.72.2
 Other manufacturing0.30.6npnp
Construction1.71.63.73.4
Transport, postal & warehousing1.01.61.62.6
Education & training; Health care & social assistance1.30.42.60.8
Other industries (a)npnp1.10.2
All industries7.70.610.20.8

-   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 eight states and territories in the June quarter, with nearly a third (32%) of the total working days lost occurring in Queensland.

Industrial disputes which occurred during the quarter, states and territories
 March Quarter 2023June Quarter 2023
 Working days lost ('000)Working days lost per thousand employees (no.)Working days lost ('000)Working days lost per thousand employees (no.)
New South Wales2.50.62.50.6
Victoria2.20.72.70.8
Queensland1.60.63.21.3
South Australia0.60.80.50.6
Western Australia0.80.60.90.6
Tasmania--npnp
Northern Territory--0.10.7
Australian Capital Territory--npnp
Australia7.70.610.20.8

-   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 85% of disputes (23 of 27) which ended in the March quarter 2023.

Cause of dispute for disputes which ended during the quarter
 December Quarter 2022March Quarter 2023
  Number of disputes (no.)Employees involved ('000)Working days lost ('000)Number of disputes (no.)Employees involved ('000)Working days lost ('000)
EB(a) related      
 Remuneration171.62.840.20.1
 Employment conditions3723.220.2191.73.4
 Other 30.50.2---
Non-EB(a) related      
 Remuneration------
 Employment conditions1-0.1---
 Health and safety---11.20.8
 Job security------
 Managerial policy10.40.510.3-
 Union issues---1--
 Other11.00.610.20.2
Total 6026.724.4273.54.4

-     nil or rounded to zero (including null cells
(a) Enterprise Bargaining (EB)

Working days lost

Working days lost is a measure of the length of a dispute, relative to the number of employees involved.

Of the 27 disputes which ended in the March quarter, 18 lasted up to and including 1 day. These disputes had:

  • 2,900 employees involved; and
  • 1,800 working days lost.
Working days lost for disputes which ended during the quarter
 December Quarter 2022March Quarter 2023
Number of disputes (no.)Employees involved ('000)Working days lost ('000)Number of disputes (no.)Employees involved ('000)Working days lost ('000)
Up to and including 1 day2222.711.3182.91.8
Over 1 day and up to including 2 days131.52.120.20.3
Over 2 and less than 5 days152.16.940.41.6
5 and less than 10 days70.21.62-0.2
10 days and over30.12.510.10.6
Total6026.724.4273.54.4

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) 

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 89% of disputes (24 of 27) which ended in the March quarter 2023. 

Reason work resumed for disputes which ended during the quarter
 December Quarter 2022March Quarter 2023
 Number of disputes (no.)Employees involved ('000)Working days lost ('000)Number of disputes (no.)Employees involved ('000)Working days lost ('000)
Negotiation without intervention of a third party61.56.811.20.8
State legislation------
Federal legislation20.10.2---
Pre-determined return to work4923.816.0242.23.5
Resumption without negotiation31.41.420.20.2
Mediation------
Other reasons------
Total6026.724.4273.54.4

-   nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) 

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Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6321.0.55.001.

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