Home > News > November 2004 > 16-Nov-2004

Workplace learning is boosting union membership, says TUC

Trade union membership is on the rise in workplaces where unions are promoting learning and training at work, according to a new report released by the TUC.

The Learning and Organising report ‘Union strength through the learning agenda' also shows that unions enjoy a stronger standing in the workplace where they have reacted to the learning needs of the workforce.

The key findings of the TUC commissioned research show that:

• 59 per cent of learning reps said that learning had had a positive impact on union membership
• 69 per cent of reps said the perception of the union by both members and non-members had improved
• 74 per cent said union-employer relations had improved

Union learning reps have the same legal standing as other union reps and are trained to identify the training needs of their workmates. In the last year alone they helped over 60,000 employees benefit from training.

"Recruiting and organising are the key challenges facing the union movement," said Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary. "While the decline in membership has been stemmed, at the current rate of growth it would take around 240 years to get back to our peak.

"To face this challenge we need to be strategic and innovative. Union learning has been one of the success stories of recent years and is making a real difference to the lives of working people across the UK. This report shows the transformation that learning can make to the individual, the union and the workplace."

The new report details how unions across the country have seen membership levels rise through tackling the learning needs of their members at work and in the wider community. Case studies including GMB, CWU, Usdaw, T&G, Unison, Amicus, RMT and Unifi explain the difference union promoted learning has made at a local level.

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