A Ninety-Sector Analysis of Industrial Disputes in Australia,1968-73

Considered in the aggregate, levels of, and trends in industrial dispute activity, 1968-73, conformed to earlier post-World War II experience, except that the long-term trend to declining time lost in disputes per striker may have been undergoing a reversal. In non-manufacturing industry, the stevedoring sector in all States except Victoria registered lower levels of Employee-loss due to disputes than those pertaining as long-run averages. In manufacturing, there was indication of some relationship between level of Employee-loss and degree of concentration of employment, from sector to sector. Instability of strike pattern was associated with relatively low, average, sectoral Employee-loss. There was some tentative evidence to suggest that, given the capacity of an industry to pay its employees, it may be that the militancy of those employees as expressed in working days lost per striker can have an impact on prevailing average wage per employee.