Strike action continues to fall

The number of strikes in the UK hit an all-time low of 133 in 2003, according to figures released last month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The figure compares with 146 in 2002 and 194 in 2001.

In 2003 just under half a million working days were lost in the UK - less than half the 1.2 million total days lost the previous year. And around 150,000 workers took strike action - mainly in the public administration, education, transport and communications sectors. The vast majority (84%) of disputes were over pay.

Northern Ireland, London and Scotland were the regions where the most working days were lost through strikes.

The number of working days lost through strike activity has plummeted over the decades, with an average of 660,000 a year in the 1990s, 7.2 million in the 1980s and 12.9 million in the 1970s.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The second a strike ballot is called there are voices rushing to predict a summer or a winter of discontent. These figures confirm that the opposite is in fact true."