You can read it yourself at the bottom of the page, but for those who don’t have time to read a 55 page report, here are eight of the headline figures.
That’s 25% of all employees. It’s down from previous decades, but it’s still a huge number and makes trade unions Britain’s biggest social movement.
For the fourth year in a row, the levels of union members in the private sector has increased. There are 200,000 more since 2010. The numbers are still far too low (14% of the private sector is unionised, compared to 54% for the public sector), but it’s great to see progress being made. It’s definitive proof of the value of organising.
The average hourly wage for non-unionised workers in the private sector is £12.64. For union members, it’s £13.67. The “union premium” is even bigger for young workers from ages 16 -24, who earn 39% more than their non-unionised colleagues (that’s £7.84 to £10.18).
21% more. Not all of that can be put down to being a union member, but it’s clear that a union does deliver on fairer, better pay for its members – in the private or public sector. Being a union member also gives you a say on what happens in your workplace.
The wages of women union members are on average 30% higher than those of non-unionised women.
For the 13th year in a row, women are more likely to be trade union members than men. 55% of union members are women. This somewhat dispels the myth that unions have male-dominated memberships, especially considering that women form a minority of the workforce.
The proportion of employees who are union members was highest among “Black or Black British” workers . Union are often described as “male and pale” – but the latest figures dispel that.
The figures show that there are significant number of workers who we can reach easily because the already work where a union is present. This is a massive opportunity. The benefits for union members are clear, and the government’s attacks on trade unions only show that they still fear the impact of organised workers demanding fair pay, proper rights, and a decent society.
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