ABSTRACT
What is happening to trade unions is a key question at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In the majority of advanced market economies, their membership has shrunk, their ability to achieve strong bargaining relations with employers has declined, and their influence with national governments is less than in the past. In the UK, union density in the private sector has fallen to the lowest levels since the interwar years and the proportion of the workforce covered by collective bargaining has similarly contracted. Nevertheless, trade unions still have strength in some areas of the private sector and especially in the public sector; they have strongly influenced developments at the national level, most notably in campaigning for a minimum wage and statutory union recognition procedures; and there are new opportunities for them to exploit, such as those provided by European Union-inspired legislation and the heightened concerns of workers regarding issues such as job security, family-friendly practices, equality of opportunity, and training and career development.
