Kevin Rowan column
Jul 10 2006 By Kevin Rowan, The Journal
The Workplace Employee Relations Survey is one of the key reports that trade unions up and down the country wait for with bated breath.
It gives an accurate, informative indication of the state of industrial relations in the UK, and a pretty clear picture about how well, or not, trade unions do in meeting their objectives.
For the last 20 years, WERS has not been a friend to the trade union movement; it has shown steady decline and waning influence, and has been accompanied by doomsday scenarios about unions' future.
Trade union decline in that period has been dramatic and there are scores of opinions on why this is so. Some blame political intervention; many argue that the dislocation of the labour market is a factor and others state that trade unions have no relevance in the modern world.
But, despite all these pressures, trade unionism has survived. At the lowest point, membership remained well above six million people - the largest membership organisation in the country by miles; workers who pay monthly to remain members, so they must be doing something right.
The most recent WERS report reveals significant achievements and some further challenges for unions.
It is clear that unions make a big difference in the workplace. Workers in unionised workplaces are less likely to be low paid; more likely to have a pension and proper equal opportunities polices; and more likely to enjoy over the legal minimum for paid holiday and sick pay. You are officially better off in a trade union.
And there is evidence that, as a result of unions' colossal efforts in workforce development, you're more likely to be able to participate in training at work if in a unionised firm. Maybe this is one of the reasons the proportion of workplaces employing more than 25 that recognise unions has risen from 24% to 32% since the 1998 study. This is in line with the rise in union density reported by the most recent Labour Force Survey and this year's rise in TUC membership.
And there is a clear case for understanding that businesses, as well as individuals, benefit from the issues too. Workers who are treated better, receive the right investment and interest from their employer, are engaged in the organisation of work and the success of the company, do work harder and more effectively.
Our own evidence in this region shows that where employers develop learning agreements with trade unions, industrial relations improve, absenteeism falls, morale goes up; and productivity goes up as a result. Unions aren't just good for individuals; they're good for business as well.
