The ONS Labour disputes in the UK: 2016 analysis shows that 322,000 working days were lost due to labour disputes in 2016, up from 170,00 in 2015, but the eighth lowest since records began in 1891. The increase in working days lost in 2016, compared with 2015, was partly attributable to a dispute involving junior doctors in the NHS which accounted for around 40% of the total working days lost. The private sector saw more stoppages in 2016, but the public sector once again had more working days lost than the private sector. There were 154,000 workers involved in labour disputes in 2016; this figure is higher than the record low figure of 81,000 recorded for 2015 but low compared to historical levels.

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