CAB129-35 — Page 125

Page 125

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Ciculates 31/5/4g (5.0 μm)

54

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT )

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SECRET

C. P. (49) 122

31ST MAY, 1949

CABINET

COPY NO.

31

EFFECT OF MEW SICKNESS AND INJURY

BENEFITS UFON ABSENTEEISM IN COAL MINES

Memorandum by the Minister of Fuel and Power

Despite the conclusion in the Minister of Labour's memorandum C.F. (49) 85 that there appears in fact to have been no appreciable increase in time lost as a result of increased sick benefit introduced last July, I am still gravely concerned with the marked increase in involuntary absenteeism in the coalmining industry.

2.

For many years past a great amount of regular information has been collected on the subject of absenteeism in the industry. The statistics show, for each week of the year, both the number of shifts worked and the number lost through absence (excluding holidays, disputes, transport difficulties, etc.), the latter being split up between those for which a reasonable explanation is given, such as sickness or injury (called involuntary absenteeism), and those for which no satisfactory explanation is offered (voluntary absenteeism).

follows:-

The figures for the last eighteen months are as

Tercentage of shifts lost through absenteeism

Involuntary Absenteeism

Voluntary Absenteeism

1948

Same months

and

in previous

Change

1949

year

1948 Same months and in previous 1949

Change

year

an./Feb.

5.4

8.2

2.8

6.0

8.9

2.9

1948

ar./Apl.

5.2

6.9

1.7

5.8

8.5

1.7

1948

ay/June

5.0

5.1

0.2

5.4

4.6

+

0.8

1948

july/Aug.

5.5

5.2

0.2

6.3

5.7

4. 1.0

1948

pt./Oct.

6.4.

5.5

+

0.9

6.1

5.2

0.9

1948

ov./Dec.

6.0

4.8

-f-

1.2

5.1

5.2

0.1

1948

kn./Feb.

7.0

5.4

+

1.6

5.6

6.0

0.8

1949

r./Apl. Page 426 of 3662

1949

+ 2.2

5.6

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