Trade Union Non-industrial Services: Membership Attitudes

The provision of non-industrial services has been usually regarded as a minor sideline of unionism, and the subject has accordingly not attracted much research interest. However, because of the slump in union density within Australia over the past decade, the provision of such services has been discussed within a number of trade unions as a possible means of either recruiting new members or retaining existing members. This study analyses the level of members' interest in such services. In particular, it explores the attitudes of members of a large amalgamated union towards the provision of discounts on a range of goods and services, and whether or not it is possible to identify groups of people most likely to be interested in using such services