Chronicle: Industrial Relations in the United Kingdom April‐July 1987
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.1987.tb00730.x |
| Author | EDMUND HEERV |
| Date | 01 November 1987 |
| Published date | 01 November 1987 |
British Journal
of
Industrial Relations
25:3
November
1987
0007-1080
$3.00
Chronicle: Industrial Relations in the
United Kingdom ApriI-July
1987
THE LABOUR MARKET
In June the official measure
of
unemployment dropped just below
3
million,
a figure representing
10.5
per cent
of
the working population. This was the
lowest figure recorded since December
1983
but controversy continued to
surround the accuracy of the official estimate. The pattern of unemployment
continued to display sharp regional differences, ranging from less than
8
per
cent in East Anglia and the South East to more than
13
per cent in the
North-West, Scotland, the North and Northern Ireland. The underlying rate
of increase
of
average weekly earnings in the year to May was
7.75
per cent,
while in manufacturing industries it was
8
per cent. There continued to be a
slight upward trend in the number of industrial stoppages.
In
the twelve
months to May
1987
a total
of
1,051
strikes were recorded by the
Department of Employment, involving a total
of
952,000
workers and
resulting in a
loss
of
3,417,000
working days. The comparable figures for the
twelve month period to May
1986
were
941
stoppages,
668,000
workers and
2,470,000
working days lost.
GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES
The General Election
On
11
June Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative Government won
a
convincing
election victory and was returned to power with only a slightly reduced
parliamentary majority. After the election a new cabinet was announced.
Notable new appointments included Mr Norman Fowler as Employment
Minister; Mr Cecil Parkinson, Energy; Mr Nicholas Ridley, Environment;
and Lord Young and Mr Kenneth Clarke, Department
of
Trade and
Industry.
Economic Policy
The return of the Conservatives in such a strong position suggested there
would be little change in the direction
of
Government economic and other
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