The following table shows for each of the five years the number of strikes and strikers, by causes:

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY CAUSES AND YEARS, 1901 TO 1905.

Questions of wages caused more than half of all the strikes in Belgium during the period, namely, 261, or 55.1 per cent of all the strikes, involving 119,697, or 79.8 per cent of all the strikers. Other frequent causes were demands for modification of conditions of work (58 strikes and 5,282 strikers) and demands for reinstatement of discharged employees (58 strikes and 8,154 strikers). Disputes as to hours of labor caused 22 strikes with 5,223 strikers.

In the table which follows, the strikes and strikers are classified according to duration of strikes:

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY DURATION AND YEARS, 1901 TO 1905.

Days of duration.

1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. Total. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. Total.

a The sum of the items (12,075) does not agree with this total, but the figures are reproduced as found in the report.

474

The majority of the strikes is found to be of very short duration, 336 out of 474 strikes, or 70.9 per cent, lasting fewer than 10 days. It appears from the table, however, that these 336 strikes included only 39,723 strikers, or 26.5 per cent. Of the total number, 77 strikes, or 16.2 per cent, lasted from 11 to 30 days and included 24,969, or 16.6 per cent, of the strikers, while 61 strikes, or 12.9 per cent, lasted over 30 days and involved 85,295 strikers, or 56.9 per cent. By dividing the strikes according to their duration into these 3 large groups, it is found that the average number of strikers per strike in the first or briefest group is 118, in the second group 324, and in the last group, of longest duration, 1,398 men per strike.

Of the 474 strikes recorded, 83, or 17.5 per cent, involving 11,205 workingmen, or 7.5 per cent of the total, resulted entirely in favor of the workmen; 325, or 68.6 per cent, with 125,974 employees, or 84 per cent, resulted in favor of the employers, and 66, or 13.9 per cent, with 12,808 employees, or 8.5 per cent, were compromised. The proportion of the strikes resulting in favor of the employees in 1901 was 11 per cent, in 1902 12 per cent, in 1903 14 per cent, in 1904 20 per cent, and in 1905 26.3 per cent. The large strikes were generally unfavorable to the employees, as is shown by the fact that during the five-year period the average number of employees per strike ending favorably for the employees was 135, per strike compromised was 194, and per strike resulting in favor of the employers was 387.

The following table shows the number of strikes and strikers, by results, in each year of the five-year period:

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY RESULTS AND YEARS, 1901 TO 1903.

The number of strikes and strikers in various branches of industry during the five-year period are shown in the following table, by results:

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY INDUSTRIES AND RESULTS, 1901 TO 1905.

A classification of the strikes and strikers during the five-year period with reference to causes and results is given in the following table:

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY CAUSES AND RESULTS, 1901 TO 1905.

As will be seen by the table, of the strikes resulting in favor of the employees more than one-half were undertaken for the purpose of increasing wages, while of those against increase of hours for their purpose one strike, in which 401 employees were engaged, resulted in favor of the employees. Also, more than one-half of the strikers struck for increase of wages.

The following table shows, for both strikes and strikers, the methods of settlement of the strikes during each year of the fiveyear period:

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY METHOD OF SETTLEMENT AND YEARS, 1901 TO 1905.

During the period 102 strikes, with 101,359 strikers, were terminated by an unconditional return to work. In addition 77 strikes, with 4,052 strikers, were terminated by the exclusion of the strikers from the establishments. In other words, 179 strikes, or 37.8 per cent of the total, in which 105,411 strikers, or 70.3 per cent of the total, were engaged, were terminated otherwise than by negotiations of any kind between the parties to the disputes. The next largest group is that in which settlement was brought about by direct negotiations between the employers and the workmen. This group included 218 strikes, or 46 per cent of the total, and 29,032 strikers, or 19.4 per cent of the total.

FRANCE.

Statistique des Grèves et des Recours à la Conciliation et à l'Arbitrage Survenus Pendant l'Année 1906.. Direction du Travail, Ministère du Travail et de la Prévoyance Sociale. xxi, 824 pp.

The present volume is the sixteenth of a series of annual reports on strikes and conciliation and arbitration issued by the French labor bureau. The information is presented in the same form as in previous reports.

STRIKES. During the year 1906 there were 1,309 strikes, involving 19,637 establishments, 438,466 strikers, and 29,305 other persons thrown out of work on account of strikes. Of the strikers, 86.76 per cent were men, 9.43 per cent were women, and 3.81 per cent were children. The strikes caused a loss of 8,692,104 working days by strikers and 746,490 by other employees thrown out of work, a total of 9,438,594 working days. In 1905 there were 830 strikes, in which 177,666 strikers were involved and 18,146 other employees were thrown out of work, causing an aggregate loss of 2,746,684 working days. The average number of days lost per striker in 1906 was 19, as compared with 14 in 1905.

Of the 1,309 strikes in 1906, 830 involved but 1 establishment each, 157 involved from 2 to 5 establishments, 87 from 6 to 10 establishments, 116 from 11 to 25 establishments, 49 from 26 to 50 establishments, and 32 from 51 to 100 establishments. Of the remaining strikes, 35 involved over 100 establishments each, while for 3 strikes the number of establishments involved could not be ascertained. In 1,003 strikes, all or a part of the striking employees were organized. The employers were organized in 589 strikes. Sixteen workingmen's unions and 6 employers' associations were organized during the progress of or immediately following strikes. In 128 strikes regular aid was given by labor organizations to their striking members and in some cases to strikers not members.

Of the 1,309 strikes, 278, or 21.2 per cent, involving 31,148 strikers, succeeded; 539 strikes, or 41.2 per cent, involving 253,264 strikers, succeeded partly, and 490 strikes, or 37.4 per cent, involving 154,010 strikers, failed; 2 strikes had not terminated July 1, 1907. The percentage of strikers involved in the three classes of strikes was 7.1 per cent, 57.8 per cent, and 35.1 per cent, respectively. In 575 strikes the striking employees were time workers, while in 294 they worked by the piece, and in the remaining 440 by both time and piece.

The table following shows, by groups of industries, the number of strikes, strikers, and establishments affected, according to the results of strikes; also the days of work lost by all employees and the