Increase in number of strikers but fewer strikes in 2008
Published: 28 June 2009
In April 2009, the Institute of Economic and Social Research (Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut, WSI [1]) within the Hans Böckler Foundation (Hans Böckler Stiftung [2]) published its annual report on industrial action for 2008. The figures in the report are informed estimates based on strike data from trade unions and analysis of media reports. According to the WSI report, industrial action in 2008 involved some 1.6 million striking workers, which amounts to about one million strikers more than in 2007. However, the estimated strike volume was 542,000 days not worked, which represented about 25% less than the estimate for 2007 (725,000 working days lost).[1] http://www.wsi.de/[2] http://www.boeckler.de/
Institute of Economic and Social Research data published in April 2009 reveal that industrial action in Germany in 2008 involved 1.6 million striking workers – about one million more than in 2007. However, the estimate of 542,000 days not worked was about 25% less than in 2007. On the other hand, the official records of the Federal Employment Agency counted just 154,052 strikers, amounting to 131,679 days not worked; incomplete reporting may explain this disparity.
Data on industrial action
In April 2009, the Institute of Economic and Social Research (Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut, WSI) within the Hans Böckler Foundation (Hans Böckler Stiftung) published its annual report on industrial action for 2008. The figures in the report are informed estimates based on strike data from trade unions and analysis of media reports. According to the WSI report, industrial action in 2008 involved some 1.6 million striking workers, which amounts to about one million strikers more than in 2007. However, the estimated strike volume was 542,000 days not worked, which represented about 25% less than the estimate for 2007 (725,000 working days lost).
The data show a trend similar to the official German strike data published in April 2009 by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA). According to the BA, 881 establishments, involving a total of 154,042 strikers, participated in industrial action in 2008, which reflected a 50% increase compared with 2007, when the BA recorded 106,483 strikers. In total, the BA recorded 131,679 days not worked due to strikes in 2008, which is less than half of the strike volume recorded in 2007 (286,368 days not worked).
The substantial gap between the WSI estimates and the official strike record of the BA is not confined to the 2008 data, but is evident in every year for which comparable data exist (Table 1).
| Year | BA data | WSI estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 50,673 | 126,000 |
| 2005 | 18,633 | 175,000 |
| 2006 | 428,739 | 1,607,000 |
| 2007 | 286,368 | 725,000 |
| 2008 | 131,679 | 542,000 |
Source: BA and WSI
The difference between the two approaches to estimate the volume of industrial action in Germany is also apparent when looking at the relative strike volume – that is, days not worked due to strikes and lockouts by 1,000 employees. This is a common indicator to compare strike activity over time and between countries. In this case, the data show that, over the five-year period 2004–2008, the annual average of working days lost per 1,000 employees is 18.1 according to the WSI estimate. However, this rate is more than three times the volume recorded by the BA.
| Year | No. of employees | Working days lost per 1,000 employees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WSI estimate | BA data | ||
| 2004 | 34,658,000 | 3.6 | 1.5 |
| 2005 | 34,491,000 | 5.1 | 0.5 |
| 2006 | 34,703,000 | 46.3 | 12.4 |
| 2007 | 35,317,000 | 20.5 | 8.1 |
| 2008 | 35,865,000 | 15.1 | 3.7 |
| 2004–2008 (annual average) | - | 18.1 | 5.2 |
Source: Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt, Destatis), BA, WSI and author’s own calculations
Important strikes in 2008
The largest numbers of strikers were involved in several waves of warning strikes which accompanied a number of bargaining rounds in 2008. Some 430,000 employees were involved in warning strikes in the public sector (DE0804029I). Disputes in the metalworking industry first saw 360,000 employees participating in warning strikes over the issue of early retirement (DE0810039I) and then another 600,000 involved in brief walk-outs during the collective bargaining round in the autumn of 2008 (DE0812049I). About 44,000 employees had been involved in warning strikes in the steel industry earlier in 2008 (DE0803029I) and some 18,000 employees were involved in similar actions in the German textiles and clothing industry.
Apart from the warning strikes, a long dispute took place in the retail sector between May 2007 and July 2008 (DE0808019I). This dispute led to some 6,000 instances of repeated strike action, resulting in a total of about 200,000 strike days; about half of these days occurred in 2008. Some 5,000 workers were involved in strikes at the German airline company Lufthansa in July 2008 (DE0808029I) and several hundreds of pilots went on strike on a number of occasions in various airline disputes. About 1,000 employees were involved in a strike to defend their collective agreement at the metal company Vacuumschmelze (DE0810049I).
Problems with official statistics
Employers are obliged to inform the BA about the beginning and the end of each strike or lockout. Although the number of strikes is not recorded, a record is kept of the number of establishments affected, the workers involved and the number of days not worked, which are labelled ‘working days lost’ (verlorene Arbeitstage). Strikes and lockouts are only recorded in the official statistics if they involved at least 10 employees per establishment and lasted at least one day or – regardless of the number of workers involved or length of time – if the strike or lockout caused the loss of more than 100 working days per establishment.
For 2008, the BA reported the figures of those strike actions (Bagatellstreiks) that were not included in the official record because they did not match the threshold. These strikes involved a total of 1,008 establishments and 74,020 strikers. Overall, these strikes resulted in 19,049 days not worked. The publication of these figures helps to make the official record regarding strikes more transparent but also shows that the problem of the threshold is not the main cause for the gap between the official record and estimated strike activity. The main reasons for the deficit appear to be shortcomings in the reporting by employers.
It is an established view in industrial relations research in Germany that there are significant shortcomings in the official record of industrial action. Substantial differences in recorded information have been observed since the official record came into existence. The problem has drawn renewed attention in recent years. Analysis of the official data showed that a substantial amount of strike activity is obviously not reported by employers. In 2008, for example, the BA recorded only 16,000 days not worked in 162 establishments due to strikes in the retail sector. This is in stark contrast to the fact that the United Services Union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di) recorded about 3,400 instances of strike action in the retail sector in 2008, resulting in about 100,000 working days lost. Whereas the official record does not report any strike action in retail in the city-state of Hamburg, there is multiple evidence that workers in shops and outlets in Hamburg were involved in the strike dispute in this sector in 2008. Moreover, ample evidence indicates that warning strikes, which have become the dominant form of strike action in Germany, are often not fully reported. These disparities in the official record of industrial action are also observed by other experts. The Cologne Institute for Economic Research (Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, IW Köln) issued a press release in March 2009, which highlighted as a major weakness of the official record the fact that it relies exclusively on employer reports and does not take into account additional data from trade unions.
WSI report on strike activity
The WSI report is based on estimates that rely primarily on strike data collected from the trade unions. In those instances where trade unions could not provide data, the strike volume was estimated with reference to press reports. WSI cannot cover exhaustively all instances of strikes in Germany. In particular, small unofficial strike action at company level for which no trade union claims responsibility is often neither recorded nor reported. With regard to figures on strikers, it cannot be excluded that official trade union reports on strike participation probably inflate the number of strikers. However, this has been taken into account when estimating the working days lost due to warning strikes. At its core, the WSI estimate of days not worked is based on trade union data on strike pay – that is, the number of days for which the union paid strike benefit to members.
Commentary
The official strike record, although showing the broad tendencies in the development of industrial action in Germany, underestimates the volume of strike activity nationwide. Nevertheless, even on the basis of the WSI estimate, Germany remains a country with comparatively few strikes and a relatively low level of strike activity.
Heiner Dribbusch, Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI)
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2009), Increase in number of strikers but fewer strikes in 2008, article.
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