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Resolution concerning statistics of strikes, lockouts and other action due to labour disputes, adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (January 1993)
The Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians,
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Recalling the international standards contained in the interim resolution concerning statistics of strikes and lockouts adopted by the Fourteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (October-November 1987),
Recalling the requirements of the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160), and the Labour Statistics Recommendation, 1985 (No. 170),
Recalling the importance of statistics of action due to labour disputes for industrial relations purposes and for assisting in the assessment of part of their economic and social impact,
Recognising the emergence of new forms of action due to labour disputes and the need to encompass them in the relevant national and international standards on statistics,
Recognising the need to provide guidelines to assist and improve the production of national statistics on action due to labour disputes and to enhance comparability of such statistics between countries;
Adopts this 28th day of January 1993, the following resolution to replace the interim resolution adopted by the Fourteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians:
General
1. Each country should aim at developing a comprehensive programme of statistics of strikes, lockouts and where relevant other action due to labour disputes in order to provide an adequate statistical base for the various users. taking into account the specific national needs and circumstances. The programme should provide statistics which may be used, in conjunction with other appropriate economic and social indicators, for descriptions and analyses at both the national and international levels. Each country should, as a minimum, cover a basic set of information which is necessary to meet national as well as international needs.
Note: This set of information constitutes the core of this resolution. Additional information which may be relevant for meeting national requirements, depending on circumstances and practices, is designated in the text by the terms "where relevant".
2. The major users of the statistics, including the representative organizations of employers and workers, should be consulted when the concepts, definitions and methodology for the collection, compilation and publication of the statistics are designed or revised, with a view to taking into account their needs and, if possible, obtaining their cooperation. 3. In order to promote the comparability of the statistics among countries whose national statistical practices do not conform closely to the international standards, the published data should be
accompanied by an explanation of the divergences. Where possible, estimates should be made periodically of any important components excluded, in order to permit an assessment of the major indicators in accordance with the international standards. Alternatively, the necessary components could be identified and separate statistics provided for each, which could then be compared between countries.
Terminology and definitions
4. For the purposes of the statistics of strikes, lockouts and other action due to labour disputes covered in this resolution, the following terms and definitions are used:
(a) A labour dispute is a state of disagreement over a particular issue or group of issues over which there is conflict between workers and employers, or about which grievance is expressed by workers or employers, or about which workers or employers support other workers or employers in their demands or grievances.
(b) A strike is a temporary work stoppage effected by one or more groups of workers with a view to enforcing or resisting demands or expressing grievances, or supporting other workers in their demands or grievances.
(c) A lockout is a total or partial temporary closure of one or more places of employment, or the hindering of the normal work activities of employees, by one or more employers with a view to enforcing or resisting demands or expressing grievances, or supporting other employers in their demands or grievances.
(d) Other action due to labour disputes consists of action effected by one or more groups of workers or by one or more employers, with a view to enforcing or resisting demands or expressing grievances, or supporting other workers or employers in their demands or grievances, in which there is no cessation of work.
(e) Workers involved in a strike: Workers directly involved in a strike are those who participated directly by stopping work. Workers indirectly involved in a strike are those employees of the establishments involved, or self-employed workers in the group involved, who did not participate directly by stopping work but who were prevented from working because of the strike.
(f) Workers involved in a lockout: Workers directly involved in a lockout are those employees of the establishments involved who were directly concerned by the labour dispute and who were prevented from working by the lockout. Workers indirectly involved in a lockout are those employees of the establishments involved who were not directly concerned by the labour dispute but who were prevented from working by the lockout.
(g) Workers involved in other action: Workers directly involved in other action are those who participated directly in the action. Workers indirectly involved in other action are those employees of the establishments involved or self-employed workers in the groups involved who did not participate directly in the action but who were unable to perform their work in the usual manner or prevented from working as a result of it.
(h) Normal workdays are those days on which work would usually be carried out by the groups of employees concerned or on which self-employed workers would usually expect to work. Weekly rest-days should therefore be excluded, as well as any public holidays, etc., on which work was not scheduled for the groups of employees involved or on which the self-employed workers
Where relevant, information could also be collected with respect to:
(vi) the number of establishments involved; and
(vii) the number of other forms of action due to labour disputes.
11. Where possible, the data should be collected, compiled and presented separately with respect to strikes and to lockouts. Where relevant, the corresponding data could also be compiled and presented separately for each of the other forms of action. 12. Where it is possible to collect some or all the data relating to generalized or widespread action, for example, involving more than one branch of economic activity, these should be compiled and presented separately.
Measurement
(i) Number of strikes and lockouts
13. The criterion used to identify a single strike or a single lockout should be the labour dispute in question. Therefore, the following should be counted as one strike or one lockout:
(a) a temporary work stoppage, due to one labour dispute, occurring among employees in one establishment at one time, or, where relevant, among one group of self-employed workers at one time;
(b) temporary work stoppages, due to one labour dispute, occurring among employees in several establishments at the same time, or, where relevant, among several groups of self-employed workers at the same time;
(c) temporary work stoppages, due to one labour dispute, occurring among employees in one establishment at a different time, or, where relevant, among one group of self-employed workers at different times, in which the period between stoppages is not more than two months;
(d) temporary work stoppages, due to one labour dispute, occurring among employees in several establishments at a different time, or, where relevant, among several groups of self-employed workers at different times, in which the period between stoppages is not more than two months.
14. Where possible, a strike that later became a lockout, still due to the same labour dispute, should be treated as a strike up to the time that the lockout was declared, and subsequently as a lockout. The information about the lockout should include whether it was preceded by a strike. A similar procedure should be followed with respect to a strike preceded by a lockout. Where relevant, a similar procedure could also be followed with respect to a strike or lockout preceded by another form of action or vice versa.
(ii) Number of workers involved in strikes or lockouts
15. Each worker involved directly or indirectly at any time during the action should be counted in the number of workers involved, whether the involvement was for the full duration or only part of it.
16. Part-time workers involved should be counted as individuals on the same basis as full- time workers. 17. Where possible, workers absent from their normal place of work at the time of the action, for reasons such as sick-leave, vacation, business or personal reasons, whether authorized or unauthorized, should be excluded from the number of workers involved for the duration of that absence.
(iii) Duration of strikes or lockouts
18. The duration of action due to a labour dispute may be viewed both in terms of the spells of action, and in terms of the span of action. 19. (a) The duration of the spells of the action should be measured in terms of normal workdays for the groups of workers concerned, from the day the action began among the first group of workers involved to the day it ended among the last group of workers involved. Normal workdays between the spells should not be included.
(b) The duration of the span of the action should be measured in terms of calendar days, from the date it began among the first group of workers involved to the date it ended among the last group of workers involved.
20. In accordance with the national practice regarding the lower limit for covering action due to labour disputes, if the action lasts for less than a full workday, the duration should be measured in terms of hours during which work would normally have been scheduled for the groups of employees involved, or, where relevant, during which the self-employed workers involved would usually have expected to work.
(iv) The amount of time not worked by workers involved in strikes or lockouts
21. The amount of time not worked by workers involved should be estimated in terms of normal hours of work, taking into account the normal work schedule of each category of workers involved. Hours not worked may be converted to days on the basis of the number of normal hours of work per day or per shift for each category of workers concerned. 22. Where possible, the amount of time not worked by workers involved should be estimated for each day of the strike or lockout for all workers involved, and the total calculated for the full duration of the strike or lockout.
(v) Other important characteristics relevant to the labour disputes
23. Information should be collected on the branch of economic activity in which the workers involved are employed, where possible using a classification scheme that is consistent with the most recent version of the United Nations "International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities". 24. Where possible, it would also be useful to collect information concerning the following reasons for labour disputes, classified where relevant according to whether or not the disputes arise from collective bargaining:
(a) disputes arising from collective bargaining:
(g) whether the action taken by workers or employers was official or unofficial (for example, whether it was taken in accordance with the relevant rules established in this regard);
(h) the collective agreement in question;
(i) the method of settlement of the dispute(for example, by direct negotiations between the two parties, by the medium of a third party, terminated without successful negotiations);
(j) whether the dispute arose from matters of right or from matters of interest.
(vi) Number of establishments involved
26. Where relevant and where possible, the number of establishments involved should be counted.
(vii) Number of other forms of action due to labour disputes
27. Where relevant, the criterion used to identify individual forms of action due to labour disputes should be the labour dispute in question. Therefore, the following should be counted as one occurrence of such action:
(a) action due to one labour dispute, at one time, among employees in one establishment or among one group of self-employed workers;
(b) action due to one labour dispute, among employees in several establishments at the same time or among several groups of self-employed workers at the same time;
(c) action due to one labour dispute, among employees in one establishment at different times or among one group of self-employed workers at different times, in which the period between the spells of action is not more than two months;
(d) action due to one labour dispute, among employees in several establishments at different times or among several groups of self-employed workers at different times, in which the period between the spells of action is not more than two months.
Reference period
28. The statistics should be compiled for reference periods of not more than a year. Where possible, a shorter period such as a month or a quarter should be used, so as to reveal any seasonal trends. 29. For a given reference period, the statistics should relate to (a) action continuing from the previous period, and also, but separately, (b) action beginning during the period under review. The total of (a) and (b) represents all action in progress during the period under review. At the end of the reference period, a distinction may be made between (c) action terminating during the period under review, and (d) action still in progress.
Data classification
30. The statistics should be classified at least according to the major branches of economic activity, where possible using a classification scheme that is consistent with the most recent version of
the United Nations "International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities". If the action covers several branches of economic activity, the relevant information should be classified separately according to the branches involved, if possible.
31. It would also be useful to classify the information according to the following:
(a) number of workers involved (size classes);
(b) duration (size classes);
(c) amount of time not worked (size classes);
(d) if possible, the reasons for labour disputes, using the categories set out in paragraph 24; and
(e) where relevant, the size of establishments involved.
The size classes for (a), (b) and (c) should be fixed according to national circumstance and practices. For the purposes of international comparisons, they should be as follows:
number of workers involved: up to 2, 3-5, 6-9, 10-19, 20-49, 50-99, 100-499, 500-999, 1,000-4,999, 5,000- 9,999, 10,000-19,999, 20,000 or more;
duration: spells (in workdays): 1 or less, over 1 and up to 2, over 2 and up to 5, over 5 and up to 10, over 10 and up to 15, over 15 and up to 20, over 20 and up to 30, over 30;
duration: span (in calendar days): 1 or less, over 1 and up to 2, over 2 and up to 5, over 5 and up to 10, over 10 and up to 15, over 15 and up to 20, over 20 and up to 30, over 30;
amount of time not worked (in workdays): 1 or less, over 1 and up to 10, over 10 and up to 50, over 50 and up to 100, over 100 and up to 1,000, over 1,000 and up to 5,000, over 5,000.
32. Where relevant, it may also be useful to classify the information according to other important variables such as those set in paragraph 25.
Data collection
33. Standard forms should be used to collect the information from the establishments and/or groups of workers involved. Such forms should be completed (a) at the start of the action, (b) when the action has terminated and (c) at the end of each reference period if the action continues into the following reference period.
Analytical measures
34. In order to assist users at both the national and international levels in understanding and analysing the information collected, a number of measures may be calculated. Calculations may be made for each of the major branches of economic activity and all branches together and, where relevant,
(a) the source of the statistics;
(b) the coverage of the statistics, particularly with respect to:
- branches of economic activity and sectors covered;
- the forms of action and reasons for labour disputes covered;
- any lower limits fixed for the coverage of the action, in terms of the number of workers involved, duration, amount of time not worked or any combination thereof;
(c) the definitions used;
(d) the methods used for collecting and compiling the statistics;
(e) an assessment or indicators of the quality of the data published.
39. The published statistics should be accompanied as a minimum by brief details concerning the source of the statistics, their coverage and the concepts and definitions used, as well as information on where the detailed description can be obtained. It would also be useful for the publication to draw attention to action due to labour disputes, which had significant impact on the indicators for particular periods.
Further action
40. The International Labour Office should prepare a manual on statistics of strikes, lockouts and other action due to labour disputes, detailing such aspects as methodology of data collection, methods of measurement, particularly for the important characteristics included in paragraphs 24 and 25, and methods for estimating analytical measures.
