The number of working days lost to industrial disputes halved in 1998 to 37,374, according to data from the Central Statistics Office.

This is the lowest figure since 1994 when 25,550 days were lost.

However, the disputes which took place in 1998 affected more workers and more firms than those in 1997.

The 34 disputes, which took place in 1998, involved 62 firms and 8,060 workers. In 1997, there were 28 disputes which affected 5,364 workers in 33 firms.

The services sector accounted for more than half the days lost during 1998, while transport, storage and the communications sector accounted for more than one fifth.

Fewer days overall have been lost in industrial disputes in the 1990s than in previous decades. In the 1970s, an average of 583,978 days per year were lost; in the 1980s, the figure was 317,078 per year.