Union members earn more

Unionised workers earn 12.5% more pay per hour than non-unionised staff, according to a report produced by the TUC to help unions attract new members to their ranks.

The union advantage presents a range of facts and figures showing the advantages of being in a union, including the official figures on hourly earnings, which average £13.07 for unionised workers and £11.62 for non-unionised employees.

This is not just to do with strong unionisation in the public sector. The guide also quotes research by the social research charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which concluded that “trade unions continued to raise pay in the private sector … keeping it above the levels in comparable non-union workplaces”. The research found that about three million private sector employees enjoyed a pay premium of around 10% directly as a result of strong collective bargaining.

The TUC report also provides evidence of how unions play a key role in reducing pay inequality and in accidents and ill-health at work and provide employees with better access to learning and training, legal representation and protection from the worst effects of the recession.

www.tuc.org.uk/extras/unionadvantage.pdf