Union Membership Broadly flat in 2002 compared with 2001

In autumn 2002, 7.3 million UK workers belonged to a trade union. The number of trade Union members has remained broadly flat in the last couple of years.

In 2002, the rate of union membership (union density) among all workers fell to 26.6 per cent, from 26.8 per cent in 2001. Union density among employees is higher, but this also dropped slightly from 29.1 per cent to 29.0 per cent. Union membership among the self-employed is traditionally low (8.4 per cent in 2002).

Union density is the same for both men and women but higher amongst older employees. Over a third of those aged 50 and over were union members compared with a quarter of those aged 25 to 34. Also full-time employees are more likely to be trade union members, 32 per cent compared with 21 per cent for part-timers.

There are large regional differences in the proportion of employees who are union members. Union density ranged from 21 per cent in the South East to 41 per cent in Northern Ireland.