Is it worth joining a trade union?

The labour movement, which first began during the industrial revolution, now has unions representing everyone from musicians to bus drivers and millions of UK workers continue to hold union membership — according to the Office of National Statistics around 6.5 million employees in the UK were trade union members in 2015. Although membership remains in its millions, popularity is diminishing with the total number far below the 1979 peak when 13 million people were members of trade unions. So are trade unions still worth being a member of?

First of all everyone is legally entitled to join a union. There are a small number of employers who do not approve union membership but they cannot discriminate against members, so rights remain protected. It could hinder career prospects though, so keeping your membership under wraps might not be the worst idea at times.

Bullying, harassment, underpayment and zero hour contracts remain common practice in British workplaces. “And with precarious work on the rise there has never been a better time to be a member of a trade union,” says Frances O’Grady, Trade Union Congress (TUC) Secretary. “