Staff strikes fall to record low, ONS figures show

According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of workers taking part in strike action fell to an all time low in 2015.

The figures showed that 170,000 days were lost to strikes in 2015, much lower than the previous year where 788,000 days were lost as a result of a series of large scale public sector disputes.

The data found that disagreements over pay led to the most cases of industrial action, accounting for 71 per cent of days lost. Meanwhile, strike action over redundancy accounted for 20 per cent of the total.

Commenting on the figures, Nick Palmer, ONS labour market statistician, said: “Days lost to strikes last year – at 170,000 – were well down on 2014, when 788,000 days were lost to disputes. Indeed, the 2015 total was the second lowest since records began, with only 2005 lower, at 157,000 days lost.

“The main reason that 2014 had a higher figure than last year was that it saw a number of large scale public sector strikes that were not repeated in 2015. In all 81,000 workers went on strike in 2015, the lowest figure since records began in 1893.”