stoppages )days lost stoppages)days lost Coal mining 613 199,000 610 219,000 Chemicals, etc. 11 2,000 10 12,000 Metal Manufacture 52 2974000 35 25,000 Engineering 175 241,000 107 121,000 Shipbuilding, etc. 58 116,000 28 64,000 Motor vehicles & cycles 98 309,000 72 161,000 Aircraft 22 10,000 13 48,000 Other metal goods 32 20,000 26 16,000 Textiles 18 "7,000 21 12,000 Construction 145 78,000 97 47,000 Gas, electricity & water 12 11,000 2 1,000 Port & inland water 63 87,000 27 15,000 Distributive trades 19 19,000 13 3,000 All other transport 42 175,000 29 8,000 Total all industries 1,465 1,646,000 1.156 758,000
The Gazette also list the number of workers involved industry by industry as well, These reveal some interesting features. Most strikes in mining, docks and transport are one-day affairs because the number of workers involved in stoppages is only a little less than the number of days lost. “hereas, in metal manufacture (14 days lost per worker), engineering (34 daysee), shipbuilding (8 days), Motor vehicles (3 duys), construction ( 5 days), and distributive ( 5 days) there is the tendency for longer strikes to be more important. It is noteworthy that this feature is shared by both years.
The table shows that with the single exception of mining, all the major industries share the increase. There has been over a number of years a run down in miners! militancy - reflecting no doubt the 'class collaboration! policy of the leadership of the NUM (including the C.P. officials such as Paynter). Another general tendency borne out by these figures is that of a big increase in the number and duration of strikes. in certain industries during a period of boom, for example, engineering, motor vehicles, and construction, No doubt the current crop of elections in the AEU have affected the figures for engineering, and definitely that of metal manufacture ‘(the big increase in days lost is largely explained by the Port Talbot AEU strike).
As noted in an article on motor vehicle manufacture, there will be a very considerable run-down in production in this industry. This will elmost certainly lead to a big increase in the number of stoppages over redundanc struggles. Metal manufacture, too, may see a similar phenomena in the remaining months of this year, There would seem to be scope for the starting of factory and plant editions of The Voice in both these industries,