Thread by @docrussjackson

#THREAD

Tory MPs: 357

Tory Party members: 160K

Daily Mail readers: 860K

UK Union members: 6.6 MILLION.

While nearly a quarter of UK employees are union members, this is a much lower number than in many other *MORE EQUAL* European countries.

#JoinAUnion #CostOfLivingCrisis

Nordic countries have far lower income inequality & higher trade union membership than Britain. 92.2% of workers belong to a union in Iceland & its Gini coefficient is just 26.1, compared with 41.5 in the US, where only 10.3% of workers are union members.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1537697600798957568?s=20&t=lY8953erqxIla9rILHFHUQ

Over the past century, unions have successfully campaigned for a minimum wage, holiday & sickness pay, equal opportunity rights, maternity and paternity rights and a two-day weekend for British workers, among other benefits.

#JoinAUnion

theconversation.com/unions-fight-t…

Discussions about why people might want to #JoinAUnion tend to focus on improving pay & working conditions. But research shows unions can do much more for employees & even employers: their benefits can extend beyond individual organisations, boosting sectors & even the economy.

Research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 35 countries shows that individuals working in organisations where unions engaged in firm-level collective bargaining enjoy higher wages.

#JoinAUnion

And, when pay and conditions are protected, employees are less likely to change jobs, certainly in the UK. Data published in 2021 by the ONS shows 47% of unionised workers worked for the same employer for ten years or more, compared to 29% of all employees.

#JoinAUnion

There is growing discontent among UK workers, including rail workers, BA staff, teachers & #NHS workers. Unions will be at the forefront of any negotiations between workers, employers & the Govt. Industries with higher union density will bring more power to the negotiating table.

The percentage of unionised workers varies across sectors, industries and age groups in the UK, however. About half (50.1)% of UK public sector employees & 12.8% of private sector employees were unionised in 2021.

#JoinAUnion

Employees over 35 years of age made up 63% of the UK’s overall employees & 76% of unionised employees in 2021.

Only 4.3% of union members were aged between 16 & 24 - one reason being that they are much more likely to be in precarious employment with less access to unions.

One-third of 18-34 yr olds returned to the post-pandemic workforce via the "gig" economy. 15% of workers in temp positions are unionised compared to 23.7% of workers in permanent positions. Yet, 49% 18-24 years old support the rail strikes & older age groups show less support.

Research shows that collective bargaining by unions can benefit both sides, companies & employees, as well as society. But neoliberals don't want more equal societies, & their economic policies over the last forty years have had catastrophic consequences.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1359445197113950208?s=20&t=lY8953erqxIla9rILHFHUQ

Decades of anti-union legislation that have stripped away rights at work, leaving workers with a smaller share of the pie. Tony Blair boasted in 1998 that his government “would leave British law the most restrictive on trade unions in the Western world”.

inews.co.uk/opinion/trade-…

The economist Thomas Piketty showed that as trade union membership declined the incomes of the top 1% have increased. But strong trade unions might be our best bulwark against recession. Any government, let alone an opposition founded by them, should be cheering on trade unions.

Instead, the Government on Monday brought forward poorly thought-out legislation designed to further weaken trade unions.

The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 would allow employers to use agency workers to break strikes.

Last month, the TUC and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (the trade body for employment agencies) issued a joint statement. Both say the proposals are “unworkable”, but the Government is pressing ahead regardless.

#JoinAUnion

Another piece of Govt legislation is the Liability of Trade Unions in Proceedings in Tort (Increase of Limits on Damages) Order, which would quadruple the damages thresholds for unlawful industrial action, raising it to over £1m in the case of unions with over 100,000 members.

The central question during a #CostOfLivingCrisis is: who pays?

The UK Government attacking trade unions during the biggest cost of living crisis in living memory is an attempt to resolve it through driving down wages.

#JoinAUnion

As Andy McDonald MP, a former solicitor and author of Labour’s Employment Rights’ Green Paper, told i,

“These anti-trade union measures only reinforce that, whilst Johnson may be going, the Tories remain determined to extinguish the ability of workers to bargain and...

...secure a better deal. They know exactly whose side they are on and they will relentlessly protect capital at every turn, whilst telling the working class it’s they who should be tightening their belts.”

It doesn’t have to be like this. UK incomes were once comparable with those of France & Germany but have fallen behind. 12 years of Tory misrule have made us poorer. That has been a political choice. Trade unions are trying to force another way. We should want them to succeed.👊