WB, Kerala led strikes, lockouts in 2005:Labour Bureau

New Delhi, Oct 31 (UNI) West Bengal and Kerala claimed nearly three-fourths of the over 23 million mandays lost in strikes across the country last year which saw a decline in industrial disputes over the previous year, the Labour Bureau today said.

Strikes and lockouts declined by 4 per cent in 2005, but still more than 2.2 million workers joined strikes, said the Labour Bureau on industrial disputes. The number of mandays lost in 2004 was nearly 24 million involving nearly 2.1 million workers.

Industrial disputes at the centre and states came down from 477 in 2004 to 258 in 2005. However, the year 2004 had seen a decline in industrial disputes by a high 13.6 per cent compared to 4 per cent last year.

As much as 92 per cent of the total mandays lost during 2005 were due to disputes in states, the bureau said. Public sector undertakings accounted for 8.03 per cent of the total loss of mandays.

West Bengal alone was responsible for the loss of 13.99 million mandays constituting 60.15 per cent of the total mandays lost in the centre and states, the bureau said.

Kerala was next with 3.06 million mandays or 13.16 per cent of the total mandays lost. Rajasthan and Maharashtra followed with 1.93 million mandays (8.29 per cent) and 1.35 million mandays (5.80 per cent).

The manufacturing sector registered a loss of 17.09 million mandays or 73.47 per cent of the total loss.

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