Unions are getting 'more powerful' as young, LGBTQ+ and disabled people eye up membership

Unions are “getting more powerful”, a new report has found – and swathes of young, LGBTQ+ and disabled people want to join up.

Over the past four decades, many journalists and commentators have penned obituaries for the trade union movement.

It’s little wonder: UK membership has halved since 1979, dropping from a peak of 13 million to around 6 million in 2024. In 2024, approximately one in four (27%) employees in Britain were trade union members, a decline of almost 20 percentage points since 1986.

But these figures don’t tell the whole story. According to the new Skills and Employment Survey, “the tide is turning for trade unions,” with a new uptick in interest driven by young people and those from marginalised groups.

Decline in membership has plateaued since 2017, while the perceived influence of unions has increased. Overall, some 44.6% people think unions have a fair amount of influence at work – compared to 39% in 2001. The uptick is even more significant among trade unionists themselves: the proportion who say that their union has a great or fair amount of influence over how work is organised leapt from 42% in 2001 to 51% in 2024.

“Trade unions have become more powerful,” said professor Alan Felstead, lead of the research project. “There’s been a plateauing in the rate of decline in trade union membership, and when we ask people about the influence and impact unions have in the workplace, it’s on the rise.

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“The [Skills and Employment Survey] measures perception – but I think that is a good litmus test for how things are changing. If we see a change in perceptions, we think it’s an indicator of real change.”

Demand for trade union recognition is growing, too. More than a third of employees working in non-unionised organisations report that they would vote to establish a union if they were given the chance (a third would not, while another third were undecided).

The level of unmet demand for union representation increases to a half among those aged 20-29. Among the LGBTQ+ community, six out of 10 would vote to establish a union – with the same demand reported among those who suffer from long term ill-health conditions. The rate increases according to the severity of their ill-health condition.

“We’d say that people who need trade unions most are those who are most under-represented,” said Felstead. “There’s an unmet demand, particularly for those who are LGBTQ+ and particularly for those who have disabilities. Again, they’re the ones who are exposed to a greater degree of risk at work, and are more likely to want that union protection.”

Workers in Northern England and the devolved nations are also more likely to be in favour of establishing a union, too.

“That demand is partly driven by a great deal more awareness of unions.. prompted by a spate of industrial action a few years ago,” Felstead said.

​The “Summer of Discontent” in 2022 and 2023 saw the UK experience its most significant wave of industrial action in decades, with more than five million working days lost due to widespread strikes across rail, healthcare, education and other sectors. Reminiscent of the 1970s unrest, these strikes highlighted deep-seated frustrations over real-term pay cuts, particularly in the public sector.

“The trends (towards the perception of unions being more powerful) are more marked in the public sector than in the private sector. Why is that? It could be due to the fact that we have had a spate of industrial unrest concentrated within the public sector. As a result of that, people in those industries, those sectors, are very aware of the power of unions.

“There have been some success stories in recent times – particularly in the public sector, fighting for better pay and in terms of conditions.”

The most significant union victories during the 2022–2023 strikes included the UCU reversing a 35% pension cut for university staff, Aslef and RMT securing multi-year pay rises after prolonged rail disputes, and Unite winning up to 28% pay increases for low-paid workers like bus drivers and airport staff.

The election of the Labour government has also signalled a change of climate towards trade unions. The Employment Rights Bill aims to give trade unions greater freedom to organise, represent and negotiate on behalf of their workers by repealing the Trade Union Act 2016 and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 which place restrictions on union activity.

“I make no apologies to those, still stuck in the 1980s who believe that unions and business can only stand at odds,” prime minister Keir Starmer told the 2024 TUC congress, “leaving working people stuck in the middle.”

Nonetheless, other findings in the survey highlighted the continued importance of trade unions.

More than one in seven (14%) of UK workers experienced some form of workplace abuse in the year leading up to the survey, including bullying, violence and sexual harassment. Occupations facing the greatest risks of abuse include nurses (32%), teachers (28%) and others working in the public sector. Risk is also elevated for night workers (24%) and it is much greater for women (19%) than for men (10%).

The Skills and Employment Survey takes place every six years, and is run by Cardiff University, UCL, Nuffield College Oxford and the University of Surrey. Professor Francis Green of UCL, who led on the study into workplace abuse, said that abuse at work as “lasting and damaging effect on victims”.

“Every year abuse at work is far too common, especially in the public sector. Sexual harassment is endured most by women and by LGBTQ+ workers,” he said.

“Employers need to be aware of the risks that stem from unequal power at work, to instil a culture of respect, and set up proper human resource policies to address problems.”

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