THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT'S METHOD OF CLASSIFYING THE CAUSES OF STOPPAGES
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.1972.tb00598.x |
| Date | 01 November 1972 |
| Published date | 01 November 1972 |
| Author | Michael P. Jackson |
RESEARCH NOTES
445
THE DEPARTMENT
OF
EMPLOYMENT’S METHOD
OF
CLASSIFYING THE CAUSES OF STOPPAGES
MICHAEL P. JACKSON*
EACH year the Department of Employment publishes in the
Gazette
a table
showing the principal causes of stoppages. This table uses
a
method of classifi-
cation that was first established in 1953 (although it was modified to a limited
extent after the comments of McCarthy in 1959l). There seems to be a case,
however, for suggesting that today the method of classification used should be
more radically altered. The changes needed can probably best be seen by
looking at the eight categories at present used by the Department of Employ-
ment.
Generally wages, in both the pre- and post-war periods, have
been recorded as the most important cause of stoppages. For example, between
1930 and 1938 49 per cent of all stoppages were recorded
as
having been caused
by wage disputes. The comparable figure for the 1960-68 period was 48 per cent.
In recognition of the importance of this category, the Department of
Employment uses two subdivisions
:
those of ‘disputes over wage increases’
and ‘other wage disputes’. These divisions, however, do not appear to be very
useful or easy to make. For example, disputes over the application of special
piece rates are classified as ‘other wage disputes’, although in reality many of
them are, no doubt, disputes over wage increases.
The subdivisions used by the Department of Employment seem even more
ill-advised, however, when the alternatives are considered. For example,
students of industrial relations frequently question the effect of piecework on
industrial disputes. Similarly, there has been considerable interest, especially
since the Donovan Report,2 in the division between national and local wage
disputes.
It
would seem, therefore, that if the Department
of
Employment
is going to use subdivisions for the wages category then it might be performing
a better service if it used ‘piecework’ and ‘national wage disputes’ as the basis
of its subdivisions.
This category has never accounted for many of the
recorded stoppages. For example, between 1930 and 1938 it accounted for
3 per cent of all stoppages and for the period 1960 to 1968 the comparable
figure was only 1 per cent. Further, this category has never accounted for
many stoppages in the case of any individual industry. If, therefore, and this
certainly seems to be the case, the number of categories available for use is
limited, then
a
strong case might be made to suggest that reserving one category
for hours of work illustrates mistaken priorities.
3.
Demarcation
This category has similarly not been particularly well used.
For
example, between 1960 and 1968 only
3
per cent of stoppages in the
U.K.
as a whole came into it. If, however, particular industries are examined then
*
Lecturer, Department
of
Sociology, University
of
Stirling
W.
E.
J.
McCarthy, ‘The Reasons Given for Striking-An Analysis
of
Official Statistics
a
Royal Commission
on
Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations
1965-1968:
Report,
Cmnd 3623
1.
Wages
2.
Hours
of
Work
1945-1957’,
Bulletin of the Institute of Statistics, Oxford,
Vol.
21, February 1959, pp. 17-29
H.M.S.O.,
London,
1968
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