Swaziland

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected, compiled and published by the Department of Labour.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statistics cover:

Sympathetic strikes, political or protest strikes, rotating strikes, general strikes, lockouts and overtime bans are not included.

Minimum threshold None.

Economic activities

No particular branches of economic activity or sectors are excluded.

Workers

Workers directly involved only. The statistics cover regular, full-time employees only. Temporary, casual and seasonal workers, unpaid family workers, part-time workers and workers laid off or absent on sick or annual leave are not included.

No particular occupational groups are excluded.

Geographic areas

Whole country.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Strike

A complete or partial stoppage of work carried out in concert by two or more employees, or any other concerted action on their part designed to restrict their output of work, if such action is done with a view to inducing compliance with any demand.

Lockout

A total or partial refusal by an employer or group of employers to allow his or their employees to work if such refusal is done with a view to inducing compliance with any demand. Both definitions come from the Industrial Relations Act, 1980.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike is the case of dispute in an economic unit. The continuation of a strike that is interrupted but later resumes, still due to the same case of dispute, is considered to be a new strike.

Work stoppages arising from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously in different establishments of the same enterprise are counted as one strike. Those resulting from the same case of dispute but occurring at different times in different establishments of the same enterprise are counted as separate strikes, as are work stoppages resulting from the same case of dispute, occurring in establishments of different enterprises.

Economic units involved

The economic unit covers the establishment, firm, enterprise and local workplace. It is defined as the industry, meaning a sector of economic activity wherein the employers provide a similar service, or are engaged in the manufacture, processing, purchase, or sale of a similar product or similar products.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is the highest number of workers involved at any one moment during the strike.

Duration

The duration is measured in workdays from the date on which the strike began in the economic unit involved up to the date on which it terminated in that unit.

Time not worked

Total time not worked is measured in workdays or workhours, as the product of the number of workers involved and the duration. Overtime is not taken into account.

Classifications

Branch of economic activity

The data are classified by branch of economic activity.

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled and published for periods of one year. They refer to all strikes in progress during the reference period, whether beginning during the particular reference period or continuing from the previous period.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

Commissioner of Labour: Annual Report.

Data published by the ILO

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

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

There is a legal obligation applying to either the employer or the employees to report the occurrence of a strike to the Department of Labour providing details of the strike, e.g. the reason for the strike, conciliatory action already taken, etc. A standard form exists for this purpose, which is to be completed and returned to the Labour Office as soon as possible after the strike has finished. The information to be provided comprises the name of the employer and the enterprise, administrative district, date of strike, number of employees involved, race, type of labour, case of strike (i.e. demands of strikers), whether a settlement was effected, and hours not worked.