Observations
 

Union growth
As we have noted elsewhere, the best data we have been able to find seems to show that union decline (viewed internationally) has come to an end, when looked at internationally. Indeed, the movement appears to be entering a fourth wave of growth. We have collected comparable data on union membership (post-2000) for 94 countries. Between them, these cover by far the majority of the world's workers. Of these countries:
     •   50 experienced union growth over the period measured;
     •   32 experienced union decline over the period measured;
     •   A further 6 experienced stability (meaning less than 1% change), and 6 do not have unions.
        (database extract: 6 July 2012)

It is important to note, however, that a growth in membership may be offset by an even higher growth in the number of people employed. Conversely, where the employed labour force declines, 'union density' can be seen to increase. The figures cited above do not attempt to capture these trends.

Union density and influence
From Table Two, it seems clear that high levels of union density are, in themselves, a poor predictor of influence. This can be confirmed by checking rights reports against density figures. Furthermore, consider the strong influence of unions in countries like France, Spain and Germany (which have 8%, 15% and 20% density, respectively). So what other factors make unions influential? We will be doing more work on defining and measuring union influence in 2011-2013.

Notes


1]  Density
Do not be tempted to compare union density figures! Some of the figures cited above represent the number of union members as a percentage of those eligible to join; others refer to members as a percentage of employed workers. Some exclude certain sections of the workforce (eg informal economy workers, the military, the agricultural sector); others include members who have not paid union fees in years. Contact us for source references if you want to know how a particular figure(s) has been derived.


2]  Membership
We have tried to find data which applies the standard definition: 'fee-paying, employed members' (ie excluding retirees, students and the unemployed), however there are times when this data is not available. Again, this makes meaningful comparisons difficult. It also means that we must resist any temptation to produce totals. Contact us for source references if you want to know where a particular figure was found, or how it has been derived.


3]  General trend
This should not be taken as a standard and comparable measure of change from the year 2000 up to the cited date. This is what we are aiming for, over time, but there are many countries for whom no so such data series is available. What we have done is to collect as much information as possible and then, where comparable sources exist over time (for years since 2000), we have measured the rate of change. Contact us for source references if you want to know how a particular figure was derived.


4]  Rights reports
There are several potential sources for annual reports on rights. Wherever possible we have cited the most recent International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) report. The US State Department reports for 2008 are better than previous years; in the past more country reports were subject to bias, and until last year much data was simply repeated, year after year, without acknowledging the fact that it was no longer current. Union membership figures from both sources are generally poor, and are often inconsistent, though in saying this we acknowledge the inherent difficulties in collecting such figures.

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