Unions face increase in workers who have never been members

The rising proportion of workers who have never had any connection with the trade union movement at any point in their working lives is the main reason for union membership decline over the last 20 years.

This is one of the findings of new research published by the TUC in a report, A perfect union - what workers want from unions.

These workers are identified as "never-members" and by the mid-1990s they outnumbered union members for the first time. Since then the gap in union density (the proportion of the total workforce in union membership) has continued to widen to a point where 31% of workers are currently union members but 48% are never-members

The research says that the number of former union members remained static between 1983 and 2001 and therefore "it is unions' inability to attract new members, rather than an increase in the numbers leaving unions that explains declining membership."

The identification of the growth of this never-member group is highlighted as the report's "most important new finding" with significant implications for any future successful strategy for union growth. For example, much union discussion has concentrated on the need to target young people and women working part time.

However, A perfect union suggests that the big gap in membership is among workers under the age of 40 in the public or the private sector, with the biggest deficit in private services, where union density is very low.

A perfect union visit www.tuc.org.uk/publications or tel: 020 7636 4030.