The East Midlands lost almost 10,000 days due to industrial action last year
THE East Midlands lost almost 10,000 days due to industrial action last year – down slightly from 2017.
According to estimates from the Office for National Statistics, a total of 9,900 days were lost due to labour disputes last year, across all industries.
That’s compared to an estimated 10,300 days in 2017 – a decrease of 4%.
The figure works out as five days per every 1,000 employees in the East Midlands – around the same as in 2017.
The vast majority of days lost came in the education sector – where approximately 8,800 days were written off due to strikes and other disputes.
That was followed by the transport, storage, information and communication sector, which lost 1,000 days in the East Midlands. Approximately 1,200 workers went on strike last year in our area – up from 800 in 2017.
The situation in the East Midlands mirrors a national trend.
Across the UK 272,700 days were lost due to strikes in 2018 – down slightly from the 276,400 recorded in 2017.
In fact, in recent years, the UK has witnessed a decline in industrial action.
There were 16 days lost per every 1,000 workers 10 years ago – rising to 51 in 2011.
Since then, the figure has trended downwards, ending with just nine days lost for every 1,000 workers in 2018.
Scotland was the part of the UK where people were most likely to go on strike last year.
Some 13,200 workers caused
atotal of 54,800 days to be written off due to labour disputes.
Looking across all industries in the UK, those in education caused the biggest disruption (179,400 days), followed by transport, storage, information and communication (53,200 days lost).
Public administration and defence lost 15,900 days due to industrial action.