The Trends in Trade Union Membership in the UK
- The general trend is downwards
- This is thought to be because of the decline in union power, mainly due to Thatcher’s supply side policies
- Also because of firms not recognising unions, and hence the union does not have the right to negotiate on behalf of its members
- Within professional organisations, such as accountancy and teaching, membership of trade unions is stronger
- A higher proportion of female workers are members of trade unions than men – 30% to 28%
- The last four decades have seen a decline in labour disputes
- As well as working days lost, there are two other measures of labour disputes:
- Number of stoppages
- Number of workers involved in stoppages
- As well as working days lost, there are two other measures of labour disputes: