A total of almost 75,000 working days were lost in industrial disputes in Ireland during the course of 1997 - over 40,000 below the 1996 figure and 38,000 below the average figure for the 1990s so far.
The number of working days lost in industrial disputes in Ireland continues to decline, with the figure for 1997 - at almost 75,000 - over 38,000 below the average so far this decade and more than 40,000 below the 1996 figure. The number of workers involved in disputes declined even more dramatically, according to figures released by the Government-run Central Statistics Office (CSO). CSO figures put the number involved in disputes in 1998 at 5,364, compared with 13,339 in 1996.
The sector most affected during 1997 was services, with 18 disputes in progress during the course of the year, involving 3,390 workers and causing a loss of 31,907 days - almost half the total. No other sector had more than three strikes. The second worst affected area was commerce, where just two strikes involving 319 people lost 24,106 days. This was due largely to the lengthy dispute at Irish Life, one of Ireland's largest finance, pensions and insurance companies.
Most of the strikes occurred later in the year, however, which means it will be interesting to see whether this is indicative of a trend which might continue into 1998. In the final quarter of 1997, there were strikes at Coca Cola Atlantic, Allegro and Weatherglaze Systems, while early 1998 has already seen strikes in companies such as Roche Ireland and Arcon Mines.
Despite these isolated disputes, the evidence still suggests that the incidence of industrial action remains low compared to more turbulent years of the 1970s and mid-1980s. In 1979, for example, 1.4 million days were lost due to industrial action, involving 134 strikes. This compared with just 41,000 days and 38 strikes in 1989. While it is impossible to prove that the current series of three-year national agreements negotiated by the social partners have caused this dramatic reduction, these agreements - the first was negotiated in 1987 - have undoubtedly played a part in delivering a "peace dividend".