Switzerland

Following the adoption by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 19-28 January 1993) of a Resolution concerning statistics of strikes, lockouts and other action due to labour disputes, Switzerland is planning a revision of the concepts relating to statistics of labour disputes, which will constitute a new reference point for its statistics of strikes and lockouts, expected to take effect from 1993.

The following description refers to the methods used up to and including 1992.

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected, compiled and published by the Office fédéral de l'industrie, des arts et métiers et du travail (OFIAMT).

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statistics cover: The statistics refer only to collective labour disputes resulting in a strike or lockout, thus automatically implying a work stoppage.

Working to rule, go-slows and overtime bans are not included.

Minimum threshold: Duration of at least 24 hours.

Economic activities

International organizations and embassies are not covered.

Workers

Workers directly involved and workers indirectly involved. In addition to regular paid employees, including part-time workers, the statistics cover temporary, casual and seasonal workers. Unpaid family workers, workers laid off, or workers absent on sick or annual leave or absent for any other reason, are not included.

No particular occupational groups are excluded.

Geographic areas

Whole country.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Collective labour dispute (conflit collectif de travail)

The collective term used for all strikes and lockouts.

Strike

A work stoppage initiated by a group or groups of employees concerning only those persons who reacted to the call to strike.

Lockout

A work stoppage initiated by one or more employers, taking into account only the workers to whom the employer has closed his or her establishment.

The definitions are drawn from ILO: International recommendations on labour statistics (Geneva, 1976).

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike is the case of dispute. The continuation of a strike or lockout that is interrupted but later resumes, still due to the same case of dispute, is considered to be the same strike or lockout, if it recommences during the same calendar year.

Work stoppages occurring in different establishments but due to the same case of dispute are considered as one strike or lockout. In particular, work stoppages arising from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously or at different times in different establishments of the same enterprise or in establishments of different enterprises are counted as one strike or lockout.

Economic units involved

The economic unit is the establishment, defined (according to the Recensement fédérale des entreprises) as any workplace at a single geographic location where an activity is carried on regularly (local unit). Consequently, one enterprise may be made up of several establishments.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is counted as the maximum number of workers that took part during the course of the stoppage, even if some workers participated for only part of the duration. The number of part-time workers is converted to full-time equivalents.

Duration

The duration is measured in workdays from the date on which the strike or lockout began in the first economic unit involved up to the date on which it terminated in the last one.

Time not worked

Time not worked is not always calculated in a consistent manner. In some cased, the data refer to the exact number of days not worked, calculated by summing the number of days not worked by each worker. In other cases, time not worked is obtained simply by multiplying the number of workers involved by the duration. Time not worked is measured for all workers involved, whether directly or indirectly, but not separately. The shorter working hours of part-time workers are not taken into account, nor is overtime.

Classifications

Cause of dispute

Branch of economic activity

The data are classified by branch of economic activity using the Nomenclature générale des activités économiques, 1985 of the Office fédéral de la statistique. In the case of a general strike affecting several industries, the enterprises involved and the employees on strike in those enterprises are classified, as far as possible, according to the branches of economic activity involved.

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled and published for periods of a year. They refer to strikes and lockouts beginning during the particular reference period plus those continuing from the previous period.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

Département fédéral de l'économie publique: La vie économique (monthly).

Office fédéral de la statistique: Annuaire statistique de la Suisse (annual).

Data published by the ILO

The number of strikes and lockouts, the number of workers involved, the number of days not worked and rates of days not worked, by economic activity.

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

There is no legal obligation to report the occurrence of a strike or lockout. The information on strikes and lockouts is collected by OFIAMT which, on the basis of reports in the daily press or on radio or television, requests the employers and workers' organizations concerned to fill in a form.