Trade Union Membership Retention and Workplace Representation in Europe

65 Pages Posted: 20 Jan 2015

See all articles by Jeremy Waddington

Jeremy Waddington

University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST); European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)

Date Written: December 19, 2014

Abstract

Based on a comparative survey of members of fourteen European trade unions in twelve countries, this working paper tries to answer the questions why people retain their trade union membership in times of declining unionisation. The paper shows that the presence and performance of workplace representatives are the main reasons for member retention throughout Europe. The author concludes that the presence of workplace representation is a prerequisite for any form of trade union renewal and draws other political recommendations from this study.

Keywords: trade union membership; workers representation; trade union renewal; trade union; workplace power; EU countries; survey; comparison

Suggested Citation

Waddington, Jeremy, Trade Union Membership Retention and Workplace Representation in Europe (December 19, 2014). ETUI Working Paper 2014.10, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2552424 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2552424

Jeremy Waddington (Contact Author)

University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) ( email )

Oxford Road
Manchester M60 1QD, N/A M13 9PL
United Kingdom

European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) ( email )

B-1210 Brussels
Belgium

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