Membership growth


Public services union UNISON has announced it saw a second consecutive year of membership growth in 2019.


The union recruited 176,469 new members over the year, outstripping the 172,721 who left in the same period, leaving a net membership gain of 3,748.


And despite 2018 itself having been a bumper year for recruitment, last year’s numbers bettered that by 6.5%. Recruitment was up in all sectors and service groups covered by the union, with growth particularly noticeable in healthcare. 


But there was also an increase in membership in the non-public sectors, now a three-year trend. The union says that members working for private employers account for a tenth or more of its membership.