WHAT DO TRADE UNION MEMBERS IN EUROPE THINK?
AN ANALYSIS OF SURVEY RESULTS
JEREMY WADDINGTON
SEPTEMBER 2013
These data are prepared for the PERC Summer School ‘Building Worker Power at the Workplace, The Community and Polity Process’ held at International Trade Union House, Brussels on 18th -19th September 2013. These data are not to be quoted without the express permission of the author.
Jeremy Waddington is Professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Manchester and the Project Coordinator for the European Trade Union Institute, Brussels.
TABLE 1
WHY DO YOU STAY IN THE UNION?
Sif members
%
TU members
%
NITO members
%
HK members
%
CC.OO members
%
KASZ members
%
BBDSZ members
%
Solidarnosc members
%
Ver.di members
%
GPA/DJP members
%
UNITE members
%
Should a problem arise at work 59.9 57.4 59.0 57.5 59.6 55.6 62.9 56.8 72.7 69.6 85.6
To gain access to the union’s unemployment insurance scheme
41.2 60.9
To improve my pay and conditions
15.4 27.8 49.0 45.4 53.2 21.4 48.6 39.5 41.7 53.5 56.8
I believe in trade unionism and want to take part
27.8 14.5 21.3 17.0 37.6 41.4 30.5 50.0 25.6 21.9 21.8
Industrial and membership benefits
14.6 23.3 21.6 15.7 19.9 24.1 35.2 5.6 20.3 15.4 12.9
Union lobbying to influence government decisions
4.2 4.1 10.2 4.9 8.1 12.1 6.7 6.5 8.8 9.5 1.3
Most people at work are members
6.2 4.3 8.8 3.2 2.4 10.2 8.7 3.6 1.1 7.8 0.7
Union training courses and career development advice
1.8 0.3 8.6 3.4 3.4 2.9 0.9 2.7 2.3 2.3 0.7
Financial services 2.3 4.8 6.9 1.9 3.2 5.2 0.9 2.7 2.1 1.9 1.1Another reason 3.6 0.4 6.2 2.0 6.9 7.2 5.7 4.8 4.7 6.1 2.0 N=1,428 N=1,373 N=1,466 N=741 N=3,338 N=1,015 N=130 N=752 N=2,550 N=1,283 N=3,087
Notes:1. Respondents were asked to rank their reasons for remaining in a trade union in order with one as the most important reason, two as the second most import reasons and so on. Table 1 reports the results of the reasons ranked at one and two in the ranking, hence the percentage figures add up to more than 100 per cent. 2. The presence of unemployment insurance schemes (Sif and TU) means that the comparisons cannot be exact as the number of options available to respondents differed between countries.
TABLE 2
IF MANAGEMENT DECIDED TO TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST YOU, TO WHOM WOULD YOUR TURN FOR ADVICE?
Sif members
%
TU members
%
NITO members
%
HK members
%
CC.OO members
%
KASZ members
%
BBDSZ members
%
Solidarnosc members
%
Ver.di members
%
GPA/DJP members
%
UNITE members
%
Solicitor 2.6 1.1 3.0 3.0 2.5 17.0 23.1 15.6 13.1 N/A 4.9
Don’t know 2.2 4.0 3.8 7.7 0.5 5.0 7.4 4.5 0.9 1.9 8.2
I would have no one to turn to 0.7 1.1 0.3 1.2 0.5 2.0 0.9 2.3 1.6 0.4 0.9
Citizen’s Advice Bureau / N/A 0.3 2.7 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.6 N/A 1.0
Chamber of Labour N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 30.9 N/A
Union solicitor N/A N/A N/A 48.5 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Union Steward 40.1 43.9 31.4 24.4 16.1 38.8 33.3 56.5 8.5 N/A 25.2
Union branch officer 34.7 14.2 20.9 30.2 18.0 18.1 9.3 4.7 16.9 N/A 15.2
Union full-time officer 7.8 18.8 32.9 23.9 1.5 12.6 13.0 11.5 13.5 25.4 36.7
A friend or colleague 7.7 12.7 6.8 6.1 0.4 3.3 4.6 4.0 4.0 1.3 8.0
Web page or helpline 4.3 4.2 0.6 0.8 0.4 1.0 1.9 0.8 0.7 2.6 /
Works councillor N/A N/A N/A N/A 11.7 2.3 6.5 N/A 40.2 37.5 N/A
Note:Respondents were asked to state the first person/institution to which they would go if threatened by management with disciplinary action.
TABLE 3
HOW GOOD IS THE UNION WITHIN YOUR WORKPLACE AT?
ALL MEMBERS WITH A SHOP STEWARD/WORKS ALL MEMBERS WITHOUT A SHOP STEWARD/WORKS COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR
Good%
Intermediate%
Poor%
Keeping everyone up to date about proposed changes
60.2 25.5 14.2
Providing everyone a chance to comment on proposed changes
39.9 39.1 21.0
Keeping everyone informed about your employers financial state
37.7 33.5 28.8
Solving disputes between management and employees
51.5 31.6 16.9
Responding to suggestions from employees
59.1 28.3 12.6
Dealing with work problems
62.1 25.3 12.6
Treating members fairly
67.2 21.1 11.7
Finding ways to produce better results for customers/clients
51.1 34.6 14.4
Ensuring security of employment
68.8 23.9 7.3
Good%
Intermediate%
Poor%
Keeping everyone up to date about proposed changes
29.5 24.7 45.8
Providing everyone a chance to comment on proposed changes
21.7 28.0 50.3
Keeping everyone informed about your employers financial state
17.5 24.3 58.2
Solving disputes between management and employees
26.0 25.7 48.3
Responding to suggestions from employees 34.5 25.1 40.4
Dealing with work problems 32.0 25.6 42.4
Treating members fairly 36.3 24.2 39.5
Finding ways to produce better results for customers/clients
29.1 27.9 43.0
Ensuring security of employment 37.6 34.2 28.2
TABLE 4
HOW WELL ORGANISED IS THE UNION WITHIN YOUR WORKPLACE?
ALL MEMBERS WITH A SHOP STEWARD/WORKS ALL MEMBERS WITHOUT A SHOP STEWARD/WORKS COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR
Well organised
%
Intermediate%
Improvements required
%Providing information on union affairs
44.2 28.8 27.1
Providing information on negotiations about pay, etc.
50.7 23.8 25.6
Contact between members and stewards or works councillors
50.6 23.4 26.0
Contact between members and full-time officers
38.0 28.6 33.4
How well the union listens to my views
51.7 22.7 25.6
How well the union represents members on issues that matter to me
49.4 25.1 25.5
Well organised
%
Intermediate%
Improvements required
%Providing information on union affairs
18.6 19.0 62.5
Providing information on negotiations about pay, etc.
19.7 16.0 64.4
Contact between members and stewards or works councillors
17.5 16.3 66.2
Contact between members and full-time officers
13.5 17.8 68.7
How well the union listens to my views
23.6 15.6 60.9
How well the union represents members on issues that matter to me
24.1 15.1 60.8
TABLE 5
THE PRESENCE, FREQUENCY AND QUALITY OF REPRESENTATION AT THE WORKPLACE
Sif members
%
TU members
%
NITO members
%
HK members
%
CC.OO members
%
KASZ members
%
BBDSZ members
%
Solidarnosc members
%
Ver.di members
%
GPA/DJP members
%
UNITE members
%
Is there a steward or works councillor at your workplace?
73.8 63.8 72.0 62.1 68.5 93.4 84.3 89.4 65.2 91.7 32.2
If there is a steward or works councillor present, are there enough?
68.1 70.2 68.3 72.0 68.1 72.2 79.3 69.8 77.0 78.3 51§.2
If there is a steward or works councillor present does s/he adequately represent members?
57.6 53.1 50.8 51.9 58.8 71.3 76.9 82.7 62.3 58.4 60.6
Proportion of members content with workplace representation
42.5 33.9 36.6 32.2 40.3 66.6 64.8 73.9 40.6 53.6 19.5
Note:The proportion of members content with workplace representation is calculated by multiplying the proportion of members with a steward or works councillor present at their workplace by the proportion of members that think the workplace representative adequately represents members.
