ABSTRACT
The aggregate growth and decline of trade union membership, by sector, industry, sex, occupation, and region have been issues of key interest to students of industrial relations since the birth of unionism itself. The identification and compilation of membership information on independent unions invariably presents difficulties, and the observer has to take a view as to whether they should be included as a trade union. The quality of union’s membership data depends primarily upon the nature of its internal systems of subscription collection and membership reporting. Unions are independent and voluntary associations of working people, and the state is obliged to rely very largely on the membership information provided from their own records. A substantial econometric literature exists linking pay and price movements, and the level of unemployment to changes in the levels of union membership. State and employer policies on union recognition, union security, and collective bargaining structures can exert a major influence on levels and stability of membership.
