I realise I can be a bit downbeat about the state of our
trade union movement sometimes, so will post this evening some comparative
international information which demonstrates that, whilst things are bad, they
could be worse. Remember this is a niche blog about trade unionism, so if
membership density data doesn’t do it for you look away now.
Here is a table of data from the OECD (Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development) showing trends in trade union density
this century;
|
Unit
|
Percentage
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Time
|
1999
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
|
|
Country
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Australia
|
|
25.4
|
25.7
|
24.5
|
23.2
|
23.0
|
22.3
|
22.3
|
20.2
|
18.5
|
18.6
|
19.3
|
18.4
|
18.5
|
18.2
|
17.0
|
15.5
|
|
Austria
|
|
38.2
|
37.4
|
36.6
|
35.7
|
34.7
|
34.9
|
33.9
|
31.6
|
30.5
|
29.7
|
29.4
|
29.0
|
28.4
|
28.0
|
27.8
|
..
|
|
Belgium
|
|
54.3
|
56.2
|
56.3
|
55.6
|
54.1
|
54.0
|
53.7
|
54.8
|
54.7
|
54.4
|
54.9
|
53.8
|
55.1
|
55.0
|
55.1
|
..
|
|
Canada
|
|
28.0
|
28.2
|
28.4
|
28.3
|
28.2
|
27.8
|
27.7
|
27.4
|
27.3
|
27.0
|
27.3
|
27.2
|
26.9
|
27.2
|
27.1
|
26.4
|
|
Chile
|
|
12.7
|
12.6
|
12.5
|
12.8
|
13.7
|
13.7
|
13.3
|
13.0
|
13.1
|
14.1
|
15.0
|
15.0
|
14.9
|
15.3
|
15.0
|
15.5
|
|
Czech Republic
|
|
30.0
|
27.2
|
23.6
|
22.2
|
22.3
|
21.0
|
19.7
|
18.7
|
17.9
|
17.4
|
17.2
|
16.6
|
15.8
|
14.3
|
12.7
|
..
|
|
Denmark
|
|
74.0
|
73.9
|
73.3
|
71.6
|
71.6
|
70.4
|
70.7
|
68.4
|
67.9
|
66.3
|
67.7
|
67.0
|
66.4
|
67.2
|
66.8
|
..
|
|
Estonia
|
|
16.3
|
14.5
|
14.0
|
13.5
|
11.7
|
11.0
|
9.7
|
8.4
|
7.6
|
6.2
|
7.6
|
8.2
|
7.0
|
6.1
|
5.7
|
..
|
|
Finland
|
|
76.3
|
75.0
|
74.5
|
73.5
|
72.9
|
71.5
|
70.6
|
70.4
|
70.5
|
69.8
|
69.2
|
68.6
|
69.6
|
69.8
|
69.0
|
..
|
|
France
|
|
8.1
|
8.0
|
7.9
|
8.1
|
7.9
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
7.6
|
7.5
|
7.6
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
..
|
|
Germany
|
|
25.3
|
24.6
|
23.7
|
23.5
|
23.0
|
22.2
|
21.7
|
20.7
|
19.9
|
19.1
|
18.9
|
18.6
|
18.5
|
18.3
|
18.1
|
..
|
|
Greece
|
|
26.8
|
26.5
|
24.9
|
24.8
|
24.6
|
24.0
|
24.1
|
24.1
|
24.0
|
23.5
|
22.6
|
22.1
|
22.7
|
22.8
|
21.5
|
..
|
|
Hungary
|
|
24.5
|
22.0
|
20.0
|
19.0
|
17.9
|
17.9
|
17.5
|
16.1
|
15.1
|
14.6
|
13.9
|
12.9
|
11.8
|
10.7
|
10.5
|
..
|
|
Iceland
|
|
87.4
|
89.4
|
88.1
|
92.5
|
86.5
|
84.0
|
84.0
|
85.1
|
84.8
|
84.6
|
85.1
|
85.4
|
85.2
|
85.2
|
85.5
|
86.4
|
|
Ireland
|
|
38.7
|
38.0
|
37.8
|
36.1
|
37.4
|
35.5
|
34.0
|
32.4
|
31.5
|
31.9
|
33.1
|
32.7
|
32.6
|
31.2
|
29.6
|
27.4
|
|
Israel
|
|
41.3
|
37.9
|
36.9
|
36.5
|
35.8
|
34.4
|
33.1
|
32.0
|
30.5
|
28.6
|
27.3
|
25.7
|
24.2
|
22.8
|
..
|
..
|
|
Italy
|
|
35.4
|
34.8
|
34.2
|
33.8
|
33.7
|
34.1
|
33.8
|
33.6
|
34.0
|
33.9
|
35.2
|
36.0
|
36.3
|
36.9
|
37.3
|
..
|
|
Japan
|
|
22.2
|
21.5
|
20.9
|
20.3
|
19.7
|
19.3
|
18.8
|
18.3
|
18.3
|
18.2
|
18.5
|
18.4
|
19.0
|
18.0
|
17.8
|
17.6
|
|
Korea
|
|
11.7
|
11.4
|
11.5
|
10.8
|
10.8
|
10.3
|
9.9
|
10.0
|
10.6
|
10.3
|
10.0
|
9.7
|
9.9
|
10.1
|
..
|
..
|
|
Luxembourg
|
|
43.3
|
42.5
|
41.8
|
42.1
|
42.8
|
42.3
|
41.4
|
40.1
|
38.7
|
36.5
|
35.9
|
35.1
|
33.9
|
32.8
|
..
|
..
|
|
Mexico
|
|
15.8
|
15.6
|
15.9
|
15.9
|
16.9
|
17.5
|
16.9
|
16.3
|
16.8
|
15.7
|
15.3
|
14.4
|
14.5
|
13.6
|
13.6
|
13.5
|
|
Netherlands
|
|
24.7
|
22.9
|
21.2
|
21.0
|
20.5
|
20.8
|
20.6
|
20.0
|
19.3
|
18.8
|
19.1
|
18.6
|
18.4
|
17.9
|
17.8
|
..
|
|
New Zealand
|
|
21.7
|
22.4
|
22.3
|
22.3
|
21.2
|
20.8
|
20.9
|
21.3
|
21.4
|
20.8
|
21.6
|
21.0
|
21.1
|
20.9
|
19.8
|
18.7
|
|
Norway
|
|
54.8
|
54.4
|
53.9
|
54.5
|
55.1
|
55.0
|
54.9
|
54.2
|
53.0
|
52.6
|
53.6
|
53.7
|
53.5
|
53.3
|
52.1
|
..
|
|
Poland
|
|
20.5
|
17.5
|
15.5
|
14.1
|
18.8
|
19.0
|
18.1
|
16.3
|
15.6
|
15.1
|
14.6
|
14.6
|
13.6
|
12.7
|
..
|
..
|
|
Portugal
|
|
22.4
|
21.6
|
22.4
|
20.7
|
21.3
|
21.7
|
21.6
|
21.2
|
21.2
|
20.9
|
20.6
|
19.8
|
18.8
|
18.9
|
..
|
..
|
|
Slovak Republic
|
|
34.2
|
32.3
|
30.5
|
27.4
|
26.1
|
23.6
|
22.8
|
20.6
|
18.8
|
17.2
|
16.0
|
15.2
|
14.1
|
13.6
|
13.3
|
..
|
|
Slovenia
|
|
40.4
|
41.6
|
40.8
|
44.7
|
43.7
|
40.1
|
37.1
|
31.4
|
29.0
|
26.6
|
26.3
|
25.0
|
23.1
|
22.0
|
21.2
|
..
|
|
Spain
|
|
16.8
|
16.6
|
16.4
|
16.1
|
15.9
|
15.4
|
14.6
|
14.3
|
15.5
|
17.2
|
17.6
|
17.3
|
16.9
|
17.1
|
16.9
|
..
|
|
Sweden
|
|
80.6
|
79.1
|
78.0
|
78.0
|
78.0
|
78.1
|
76.5
|
75.1
|
70.8
|
68.3
|
68.4
|
68.2
|
67.5
|
67.5
|
67.7
|
67.3
|
|
Switzerland
|
|
20.9
|
20.2
|
19.7
|
19.9
|
19.9
|
19.5
|
19.3
|
18.9
|
18.5
|
17.5
|
17.3
|
17.1
|
16.7
|
16.2
|
16.2
|
15.7
|
|
Turkey
|
|
29.3
|
28.2
|
29.3
|
25.1
|
22.3
|
20.0
|
16.8
|
14.3
|
12.3
|
10.7
|
10.2
|
8.9
|
7.8
|
7.0
|
6.3
|
..
|
|
United Kingdom
|
|
30.1
|
30.2
|
29.6
|
29.3
|
29.6
|
29.0
|
28.6
|
28.2
|
28.1
|
27.3
|
27.3
|
26.6
|
25.8
|
26.0
|
25.8
|
25.1
|
|
United States
|
|
13.4
|
12.8
|
12.9
|
12.6
|
12.4
|
12.0
|
12.0
|
11.5
|
11.6
|
11.9
|
11.8
|
11.4
|
11.3
|
10.8
|
10.8
|
10.7
|
|
OECD countries
|
|
21.0
|
20.4
|
20.0
|
19.7
|
19.6
|
19.2
|
18.9
|
18.3
|
18.1
|
18.0
|
18.1
|
17.7
|
17.6
|
17.2
|
17.0
|
16.7
|
Across the OECD union density has fallen from a point at
the turn of the century where just over one in five workers were trade unionists
to a point now where it is around one in six. This masks some quite significant
differences between nation states. In some West European countries (Spain,
Italy and Belgium for example) density has remained steady or even inched up.
At the other extreme in some East European countries (the Hungary and the Czech
and Slovak republics for example) density has fallen to less than half what it
was at the turn of the century (there appears to have been an even more
catastrophic decline in Turkey).
The “meaning” of trade union density figures for trade
union power and influence clearly varies between different national settings.
The French trade unions have very low membership density but are not
proportionately less influential than their counterparts in many other countries.
The decline in trade union density in the United Kingdom
has been slightly less severe than the OECD average and remain comfortably in
the second quartile of national density figures, so our dilemma is no greater
than that faced by trade unionists in most advanced economies.
If there is
anything to be learned from this data it is perhaps that we should spend a bit
more time and effort finding out what it is that trade unionists have been
doing in (for example) Belgium or Italy to sustain their membership density and
resist the decline which is being experienced here, and in many other
countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment