Over 80,000 work days were lost to industrial disputes in 2015, despite what is described as "historically low levels" of workplace disagreements.
A slight increase in the number of disputes from 2014 resulted in the loss of 83,400 individual working days, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
It was the first rise in the number of hours lost to industrial disputes since 2012, after falls in both 2013 and 2014.
"Industrial disputation is at historically low levels and is well below what it was under the ABCC (Australian Building and Construction Commission)," ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver told AAP.
"There may have been a few dozen more in 2015 compared to 2014 but... workers, their representatives and employers are getting on with it and disputes are down overall."
In the seven years that the ABCC operated, the average amount of days lost to disputes was 172,637, according to ABS data.
In the three years since it was replaced by Fair Work Building & Construction, the average has dropped to 95,266.
The construction industry remained the most affected by disputes for the second year running.
Less employees were involved in the disputes compared to 2014 with the number more than halving since 2012.
The ABS data showed disruptions included strikes and employer lockouts, but the primary cause of a dispute was working conditions rather than pay.
Another major cause was health and safety concerns.
INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES IN 2015
* 83,400 working days lost to disputes, up from 71,400 in 2014
* Construction industry the most disrupted, losing nearly 60,000 working days in two years
* Queensland overtook Victoria with the most hours lost to disruptions
* Less employees involved in disputes at 278,000, down from nearly 350,000
* Pay disputes caused 12 pct of all disputes
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