1 British Unions: Resurgence or Perdition?

• At its peak UK union membership stood at 13 million in 1979 but haemorrhaged 5.5 million in the subsequent two decades. Presently 29 % of employees belong to a union, 3-in-5 in the public sector but under 1-in-5 in the private sector. The sustained decline in membership in the 1980s and 1990s was a consequence of interactions among the composition of the workforce and jobs; the roles of the state, employers and individual workers; and of unions own structures and policies. • As a consequence of their decline unions now impact only modestly on pay, productivity, financial performance and investment. But the negative association between recognition and employment growth, even assuming it is not causal, will depress future membership if it continues. Unions are a force for fairness in the workplace: they narrow the pay distribution, boost family friendly policy and cut accidents. • Presently there are around 3 million free-riders and another 3 million employees who might join a union if one existed at their place of work. The challenge fo