ABSTRACTS/RÉSUMÉS
THE WORK STOPPAGE DATA
FROM HUMAN RESOURCES AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CANADA [HRSDC]": A RESEARCH
NOTE
Linda Briskin
Social Science Division/School of Womens Studies,
York University, Toronto, Canada
As part of a research
program on worker militancy, this note presents an overview of the data on work
stoppages from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada [HRSDC] (previously
Human Resources Development Canada [HRDC]) with reference to the 21261 strikes
from 1966-2001. It unpacks the definitions embedded in 'work stoppage', considers
how to group strikes by number of workers and duration, comments on the contract
status and result variables, and discusses how strike issues are coded.
Several themes emerge. The state's major interest in strikes relates to their
economic impact, which is operationalized through 'person days lost'. A shift
from 'person days lost', to worker militancy allows for revealing re-interpretations
of the data which will help make visible the relevance of such stoppages to
workers, unions and communities. Examining the HRSDC data in this new light
also underscores the political nature of data collection (what is seen to be
germane and not), and data presentation (what is made visible and what is concealed).