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Billions of reasons to join a union

8 December 2009

Unions save employers millions of pounds in recruitment costs every year and are worth billions to the UK economy, a new TUC report says.

Drawing on statistics from a range of sources, the pamphlet ‘The Union Advantage’ (PDF) reminds us of the positive impact trade unions have on individuals, work and society.

The report has been released to help counter Tory suggestions in the media recently that public sector union reps were a drain on the economy through the use of facility time.

It cites the 2007 Department for Trade and Industry study that found employers with unionised workplaces save between £72m and £143m a year on recruitment because staff are less likely to leave their jobs.

By reducing accidents at work unions could be saving employers £371m a year, and by improving productivity they benefit the economy by up to £10.2bn annually. Other facts and figures in the report include:

  • Workers in unionised workplaces earn 12.5% more an hour than employees in non-union organisations
  • Unfair dismissal awards won by unions are more than three times higher than non-union backed cases
  • Union safety reps save between 161,000 and 241,000 working days a year through fewer accidents at work
  • Almost three-quarters of union learning reps and 50% of managers reported ULRs have had a positive impact on training
  • In 2007 unions won a record £330m in compensations for members through legal action.

Download a copy of the TUC report, ‘The Union Advantage: The positive impact of trade unions on the economy and British society’ (PDF)

 

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