Trade unionism in the UK

1
Trade unionism in the UK
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
Rob Hancock Regional Education Officer TUC
2
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
Trade union membership
Fell during 2004 In autumn 2004 6.78 million
people in employment members of trade
unions Decrease of 0.5 or 36,000 compared to
autumn 2003 Rate of membership fell from 26.6 to
26 of all employed people in UK
3
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
Public v private

• Private sector
• 17.2 union members
• Density fell 1 as union membership fell by
  142,000

• Public sector
• 58.8 union members
• Density fell 0.3 as union membership rose
  138,000 in 2004

4
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
By gender

• Men
• Union membership down 54,000
• Density fell by 0.9 point to 28.5

• Women
• Union membership up 42,000
• Density decreased by 0.2 point to 29.1

5
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
National density Northern Ireland 39.3 Wales
37 Scotland 33.2 England 27.5
6
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
Union presence 48.8 employees in a workplace
where there was a trade union Private sector
34.2 Public sector 84.7
7
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
Collective Bargaining 35 of employees had their
pay determined by collective agreement 7.23
million in autumn 2004
8
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
Union wage gap Hourly earnings union members
averaged 11.38, ie 17.1 more than non-union
employees
9
TRACE Brave New World of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises Workshop 1 10. bis 12. Oktober
2005 (Seminarhotel Ananas/Vienna)
Sectors
10
Recent experience

• Union membership in 1979
• Reasons for decline