According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics, 81,000 workers went on strike in 2015 – the lowest number since records began in 1893.
There were 106 strikes – less than half the number in 1995, an eighth of those in 1985, and a twentieth of those in 1975.
The strikes meant a loss of just 0.003 per cent of all working days. The majority (60 per cent) of strikes lasted no more than three days, and over two-thirds of them were related to pay.
The TUC’s response to the data was somewhat surreal – indicating that many in the trade union movement are in denial.
“These figures show that going on strike is always a last resort when your employer won’t negotiate and won’t compromise,” said TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady. That’s only partly true. The other last resort, far more frequently taken, is not to fight.
• Related article: Trade unions in crisis – time to change