BELGIUM. The statistics of strikes and lockouts in Belgium were compiled from a report covering the years 1896 to 1900 and from annual summaries which appeared in the monthly bulletins of the Belgian labor bureau. As the data in the annual summaries are not as complete as those in the report for the years 1896 to 1900, it was not possible to present in each table a complete series of figures for the whole period from 1896 to 1904. The following table shows the number of strikes and lockouts, establishments involved, and persons affected each year from 1896 to 1904: 1896. 1897 1898. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. Total. STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN BELGIUM, BY YEARS, 1896 TO 1904. a Not including number of establishments for 3 strikes, not reported. d Not including number of establishments for 1 strike, not reported. e Not including number of establishments for 4 strikes, not reported. / Not including number of other employees thrown out of work in 13 strikes, not reported. During the nine-year period from 1896 to 1904 there were 961 strikes and lockouts reported, affecting 230,727 strikers and employees locked out. Of these strikes and lockouts 957 affected 2,019 establishments; and in the case of 948 it was reported that 44,637 other employees were thrown out of employment on account of the strikes and lockouts. The next table shows the percentage of success, failure, or partial success of strikes and lockouts which occurred each year from 1896 to 1904: RESULTS OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN BELGIUM, BY YEARS, 1896 TO 1904. During each year of the nine-year period over one-half of the strikes and lockouts resulted in favor of the employers, the percentage of strikes in their favor ranging from 56 to 76. Measured by the number of strikers and other employees involved, the success of the employers was even greater, the percentage of such persons affected in strikes and lockouts which resulted in favor of employers ranging from 48 to 90. In presenting the strikes and lockouts by industries the original reports show the results only for the period from 1896 to 1900. For this reason two tables are here given, the one showing simply the number of strikes and strikers in each industry each year from 1896 to 1904, and the other showing the results by industries for the period 1896 to 1900: STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN BELGIUM, BY INDUSTRIES AND YEARS, 1896 TO 1904. a This total does not agree with the total given in other tables, but it is the sum of the details as 68 16,084 RESULTS OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN BELGIUM. BY INDUSTRIES, 1896 TO 1900. The largest number of strikes and lockouts during the nine-year period, 247 or 25.7 per cent, was in the textile industry. The mining industry was next in importance, having 219 or 22.8 per cent of all the strikes and lockouts reported. Of the total number of strikers and employees locked out during the nine-year period 116,326, or 50.4 per cent, were in the mining industry. The following table shows the strikes and lockouts for the period 1896 to 1900, and for each of the years 1901 to 1904, grouped according to their duration: STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN BELGIUM, BY DURATION AND YEARS, 1896 TO 1904. The strikes and lockouts during the period were mostly of short duration, 490 of the 880 strikes and lockouts for which duration was reported having lasted 5 days or less, and but 71 over 30 days. Of for which duration was reported 124,811, or 56.2 per cent, were in strikes and lockouts which lasted 30 days or less. The causes of strikes and lockouts are shown in the original reports for each year of the nine-year period, but the results by causes are given only for the first five years. For this reason two tables follow, the first showing the strikes from 1896 to 1900 by years, causes, and results, and the second showing the strikes by causes only for each year from 1901 to 1904: CAUSES AND RESULTS OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN BELGIUM, BY YEARS, 1896 TO 1900. For increase of wages.. |