Work stoppages decline for third consecutive year

The Labour Minister Paul Swain has welcomed the latest statistics on work stoppages, which have declined significantly on the previous year.

Statistics New Zealand figures released today show there were 28 work stoppages during 2003. This compares to 46 stoppages during 2002, and 42 stoppages during 2001.

There were 13 work stoppages in the December 2003 quarter, which compares to 14 in the December 2002 quarter.

"The figures for the year to December 2003 are heartening because they show the number of employees involved, the loss of wages and salaries, and the number of person-days lost has fallen compared to the previous year," says Mr Swain.

The stoppages involved 5,098 employees (23,309 in 2002), $4.241 million in lost wages and salaries ($4.979 million in 2002), and 19,390 person-days of work lost (34,398 in 2002).

"I'm also pleased to see that Statistics New Zealand notes that the results for the December 2003 continue a long term trend of declining numbers of work stoppages," says Mr Swain.

"It's in the best interests of employers, employees and the economy for workplaces to operate with the minimum disruption," says Mr Swain.

The Department of Labour's mediation service helped resolve 10 of the 13 disputes in the December 2003 quarter.

© Scoop Media

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