Union income struggles to keep up

Unions are finding it increasingly difficult to balance their books as income struggles to keep up with growing expenditure.

The latest figures from the government's certification officer show that overall unions are still in surplus, but the gap between income and expenditure is now very narrow at only £6.6 million - less than 1% of total income.

Total income for all 208 TUC and non-TUC unions was £849.5 million in 2002-03, 2.9% higher than a year earlier. Expenditure in the same period was £842.8 million, 3.8% higher than in the previous year.

These figures are distorted by a financial reorganisation at the BMA. If the BMA figures are excluded, the unions were operating at a slight loss.

Among the 16 largest unions with more than 100,000 members, six - UNISON, GMB, PCS, CWU, Prospect and GPMU - were running at a loss. However, union attempts to reduce spending are also having an effect. Six unions - Amicus, the T&G, PCS, CWU, UNIFI and GPMU - spent less in 2002-03 than a year earlier.

Union finances 2002-03

Unions with over 100,000 members:

Union Income Surplus/deficit

UNISON (public services) £124.7m -£1.36m

Amicus (manufacturing/services) £71.3m £3.82m

T&G (general) £72.7m £1.93m

GMB (general) £47.3m -£5.30m

RCN (nurses) £19.3m £0.00m

USDAW (shopworkers) £25.1m £1.59m

PCS (public services) £21.8m -£6.98m

CWU (communications) £28.4m -£2.23m

NUT (teachers) £23.1m £0.28m

NASUWT (teachers) £19.4m £1.63m

UNIFI (finance) £14.0m £2.38m

BMA (doctors) £102.5m £14.35m

UCATT (construction) £6.9m £1.97m

ATL (teachers) £11.6m £0.10m

Prospect (specialists/managers) £12.9m -£0.53m

GPMU (print and media) £22.4m -£2.55m