Insight

Thumbs up for trade unions?

54% of union members say they are represented well.

Despite the number of trade union members being on the decline over the past three decades, there are still seven million in the UK according to some of the latest government statistics. Some of the latest research from Opinium looks at how well they represent their members.

The research, conducted amongst 1,000 trade union members across the UK, suggests that broadly speaking unions do their job well. Just over half (54%) thought their union represents them well to your employer, while only 15% thought they received poor representation.Looking at particulars aspects of a trade union?s role, we found that union members more satisfied with their working conditions. Almost three in five (57%) said their union had got them a good deal in terms of working conditions, while just under half (47%) said the same about pay.Female union members were slightly less satisfied, with only 44% saying their union got them a good pay deal, compared to 51% of men.The union versus the managementThe generally positive reviews shows when asked who they trusted most. Just over half (54%) said they trusted their union over their management, while 15% said they trusted their management more than their trade union. Younger workers (aged 18-34) were the most likely to say they trusted their management the most (34%).Look into the results in detail here.