Trade union membership

The median age of union members has increased between 2004 and 2014. Many members are in their mid-40s to early 50s. The percentage of people under 25 joining a union has fallen since 2004. This is worrying because there is a strong association between joining young and remaining a member – people who do not join a union when they are young are much less likely to join later. Recruitment of more young people is therefore crucial for the survival of the trade union movement.

Data collected by the ETUI show that across Europe, trade union members earn considerably higher wages than non-members, with a special premium for young and female workers.

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  • 01.03.2023 Page

    North Macedonian union listens to the concerns of young journalists

    The Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) of Macedonia has been working with international trade union organisations to help young journalists address the challenges posed by digital media and understand the benefits of joining a trade union.
  • 01.06.2022 Page

    First woman to lead German trade union confederation

    Yasmin Fahimi has been elected as the first-ever female president of the powerful German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). She won 93.23% of votes at the annual congress of the organisation that brings together the country’s eight main sectoral unions, with 5.7 million members. She succeeds Rainer Hoffmann, who had held the post since 2014, and becomes the first-ever woman president in the DGB’s 73-year history.
  • 04.06.2020 Page

    Union strength grows in UK and Sweden

    Over the last year, union membership in the UK has increased by 91,000, reaching a total of over 200,000 new members since 2017.There has been a surge in affiliations since the start of the pandemic in Britain, although in some other countries unions are suffering due to soaring unemployment. The biggest change in the UK came from a rise of 170,000 in the number of women workers joining trade unions. There are now more women carrying a union card than at any time since 1995.
  • 25.11.2018 Page

    Empowering textile workers in South-East Europe

    As few as 3-4% of the 600,000 clothing and footwear workers in South-East Europe are organised into trade unions. With minimal collective bargaining coverage, wages in some of the countries are as low as €200 per month, falling behind even the earnings of Chinese workers.
  • 19.01.2018 Page

    Estonian finance workers secure ground-breaking deal

    A union recognition agreement with one of the biggest banks in the Baltic region represents a significant victory for a young trade union organising financial sector workers. The Union of Estonian Financial Sector Employees (EFTL) was set up in 2013 as the first trade union protecting the specific interests of banking workers in Estonia. According to EFTL, the new two-year agreement – the first of its kind in the Baltics – shows that Luminor recognises the union’s right to bargain for its members. More than half of the bank’s 610 staff are unionised.
  • 20.03.2017 Page

    Virtual solidarity builds union strength

    Trade union shop stewards employed by the Wood Group in Scotland received this year’s Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) organising award, in April, from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The award recognised their role in recruiting and organising workers on Shell oil platforms in the North Sea, successfully resisting a threatened 30% cut in wages and allowances.
  • 12.12.2016 Page

    Three-quarters of Belgians are in favour of trade unions

    A survey of public opinion in Belgium found that 72% of respondents see them as a positive influence. Researchers at the Catholic University of Louvain (KU Leuven) questioned some 1,900 voters between October 2014 and June 2015, comparing opinion in the Flemish-speaking north and French-speaking south of the country. They also discovered that 41.6% of French-speakers are trade union members, as against 39% of Flemish. Across the country, more than 70% of trade unionists referred to the services unions provide as the reason for joining.
  • 31.08.2015 Page

    Irish trade union members feel the benefits

    The Mandate Trade Union, representing workers in the Irish retail sector, has just released the results of a survey which proves that joining a trade union really does pay dividends. It finds that unionised shop workers earn 30% more than those in the non-union sector. They take home an average of €13.03 per hour, whereas non-unionised workers get just €10.04.
  • 12.02.2013 Speech

    EU-South Africa dialogue on Just Transition, Green and Decent Jobs

    Johannesburg, 12-13/02/2013 Check against delivery I am pleased and honoured to be invited to participate in bilateral discussions with South African unions and political actors on the important topic of Just Transition, Green and Decent Jobs. Your country and your trade union movement have for ever marked history. You continue to fight for equality, decent work and decent wages. You support campaigns to eliminate HIV here in South Africa but also in solidarity with neighbouring countries.

Contacts

Ms Esther LYNCH

General Secretary

Mr Lorenzo REPETTI

Director of Policy

Ms Emanuela BONACINA

Senior Personal Assistant to the General Secretary

Administrative Assistant To General Secretary