Official figures show increase
 in union membership

Union membership among employees rose very slightly in 2014-15, from 6.46 million to 6.49 million, according to the latest official statistics. 


However, the increase did not quite keep pace with the growth in the number of employees, so union density (the proportion of employees who are union members) slipped from 25.0% to 24.7%. However, the public sector showed faint signs of recovery, with union density edging up from 54.3% to 54.8%.


Unions will draw some encouragement from the figures on collective bargaining coverage, which have been on a downwards slope. Last year saw a tiny reversal of that trend, with the proportion of employees whose pay is settled by collective agreement (even though they may not necessarily be union members) creeping up from 27.5% to 27.9%.


www.gov.uk/government/statistics/trade-union-statistics-2015