Australia Yearbook - 2001

240 Year Book Australia 2001
The majority (92%) of employees aged 20 years
and over received superannuation as an
employment benefit in August 1999. In contrast,
just over half (53%) of employees aged 15–19
years were covered by superannuation.
In August 1999, 96% of employees in the public
sector received superannuation benefits (97% of
males and 96% of females) compared with 87% of
private sector employees (88% of males and 85%
of females).
Industrial relations
Industrial disputes
This section presents statistics on industrial
disputes involving the loss of ten working days
or more at the establishments where stoppages
occurred. Working days lost refers to working
days lost by workers directly or indirectly
involved in disputes at those establishments.
The number of working days lost per year, and
the number of employees involved, have
fluctuated from year to year, but have
demonstrated a significant downward trend over
the last two decades (graph 6.38). However, the
number of working days lost in 1999 was 650,500,
an increase of almost 24% on the 1998 figure.
Over the same period the number of employees
involved in industrial disputes (either directly or
indirectly) increased by 32% (table 6.39).
The overall increase of 124,200 in working days
lost between 1998 and 1999 was primarily due to
increased disputation in Education; Health and
community services industries (up 148,300), and
Metal products; Machinery and equipment
manufacturing industries (up 76,700).
This was partly offset by falls in Construction
(down 45,800), Coal mining (down 34,400), and
Transport and storage; Communication services
(down 32,500).
Working days lost
Number of employees
6.38 INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES
million
6
4
2
0
1979 1989 1999
Source: Industrial Disputes, Australia (6322.0).
6.39 Number of Disputes and Employees Involved
Disputes
Employees involved
Commenced
in year
Total Newly involved(a)
Total
Working days lost
Year
no.
no.
’000
’000
’000
1994 556 560 263.4 265.1 501.6
1995 635 643 335.4 344.3 547.6
1996 539 543 575.9 577.7 928.5
1997 444 447 315.0 315.4 534.2
1998 516 519 347.8 348.4 526.3
1999 727 731 460.7 461.1 650.5
(a) Comprises workers involved in disputes which commenced during the year and additional workers involved in disputes which
continued from the previous year.
Source: Industrial Disputes, Australia (6321.0).