Labour Market Statistics 2005

immediately after authorised stopwork meetings. periods of which comprise only Partial strikes involve a reduction of normal output one stoppage are counted only once in the series. and include go-slows, refusals to work , work to rules and other means of passive resistance The amount of time not worked by employees that are clearly manifested. involved in strikes and lockouts is reported by employers in terms of the total number of hours lost. Complete lockouts involve an employer A standard eight-hour day is then used to calculate discontinuing the of any employees the number of person-days of work (previously for a period. They are similar to complete strikes termed working days) lost. but are initiated by employers. Partial lockouts arise from the act of an employer which, although allowing In calculating the estimated loss in and employees to work normal hours of work, withdraws salaries, no account is taken of the fact that work the provision of other contractual obligations such not performed during the period of the stoppage as the opportunity to work overtime or the payment may often be performed and paid for at a later of penal rates. date. However, account is taken of orders of the Employment Court to pay workers arrears for work Work stoppages with more than one event are done and not compensated for at the rate set down classifi ed according to the following guidelines. in their employment . Repayments are deducted from losses of wages and salaries, when 1. A complete stoppage will always be recorded such information is available. over a partial stoppage. Available statistics Example: Employees at Firm A implement an overtime ban (a partial strike) but later Work stoppages are classifi ed by industry, completely withdraw their labour over the same institutional sector, region, cause, method of issue. The stoppage would be recorded as a resolution (how the dispute was resolved) and complete strike. method of achieving a return to work (how the stoppage ended). 2. In cases where the type of action changes but the degree of action does not change the stoppage Union statistics is recorded as having the type of whichever Before the Employment Act came into event came fi rst. effect in May 1991, unions were required by law Example: Employees at Firm A implement an to register with the Department of Labour. From overtime ban, but at a later date their employer its Registrar of Unions, the Department of Labour refuses to pay travel allowances (a partial compiled information on the number of unions and ) over the same issue. In this case, the the size of their membership. stoppage is recorded as a partial strike. When the Employment Contracts Act was passed, 3. In stoppages where both the type and degree the requirement for unions to register ceased, and of action change, the degree of action is always the Act made no distinction between trade unions complete and the type of action is always that of and other people, groups or organisations which any complete stoppage. seek to represent employees. Example: Firm A partially locks out its employees, Since the passing of the Employment Relations who totally withdraw their labour at a later date. Act in October 2000, unions and other people, This stoppage would be recorded as a complete groups or organisations which seek to represent strike. employees are required by law to register with the Department of Labour. From its Registrar of Indicators of work stoppages Unions, the department now compiles information on the number of unions and the size of their The indicators used to measure stoppage activity membership. include the number of stoppages (frequency), the duration of stoppages (persistence), the number of employees involved (extent), the number of working Labour Cost Index days lost (economic impact) and the estimated loss What the index measures in wages and salaries (also economic impact). The Labour Cost Index (LCI) measures movements The number of employees involved includes not in base salary and ordinary time rates, only those directly involved, but also non-striking overtime wage rates (on a quarterly basis), and employees, who are not locked out, but are unable the following non--related costs (on an to perform normal work as a direct result of the annual basis): stoppage. Employees involved in two or more

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