During spring 2000, the Swedish trade unions published their annual membership statistics. In 1999, the university graduates' unions and the white-collar workers' unions gained in total membership numbers while the blue-collar unions affiliated to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (Landsorganisationen, LO) lost about 26,000 members.
In 1999, the membership of trade unions representing university graduates affiliated to the SACO confederation increased by 3.6% in 1999. The white-collar workers' unions affiliated to TCO also registered a slight rise (though a drop in active members), while the blue-collar unions affiliated to LO lost about 1.3% of their membership.
During spring 2000, the Swedish trade unions published their annual membership statistics. In 1999, the university graduates' unions and the white-collar workers' unions gained in total membership numbers while the blue-collar unions affiliated to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (Landsorganisationen, LO) lost about 26,000 members.
The Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations (Sveriges Akademikers Centralorganisation, SACO), whose affiliates organise university graduates, increased its membership by about 17,000, or 3.6%, to 479,000 members in 1999. Membership rose in 20 out of SACO's 25 affiliated unions. The Swedish Association of Military Officers (Officersförbundet, OFF), which left the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation, TCO) for SACO in 1997, is not included in the membership statistics. If it had been, there would have been a further "rise" of about 20,000 in SACO membership.
Within the white-collar workers' confederation, TCO, the number of active members is decreasing, with a loss of 3,680 in 1999. The total number of active members stood at 1,046,899 at the end of December 1999. However membership among students and pensioners increased by 5,765, with the effect that total membership rose by 0.5%. Of TCO's affiliates, the Salaried Employees' Union (Tjänstemannaförbundet, HTF) experienced the greatest increase - 3,798, or 2.8%. Information about self-employed members was gathered for the first time in 1999. Five TCO unions accounted for a total of 2,792 self-employed members at the end of 1999. The Swedish Journalists' Union (Svenska Journalistförbundet, SJF) has the largest number, at 1,664 members, which is about a 10th of total SJF membership.
LO had 2,066,455 members at the end of 1999, a loss of 26,716, or around 1.3%. LO's largest affiliate is the Swedish Municipal Workers' Union (Svenska Kommunalarbetareförbundet, Kommunal) with 608,998 members in 1999, of whom 492,960 were women. Kommunal lost 11,076 members during 1999. The second largest affiliate, the Swedish Metal Workers' Union (Svenska Metallindustriarbetareförbundet, Metall) had 418,070 members, of whom 329,301 were men, and lost 3,508 members in 1999. Only two LO trade unions gained members during 1999: the Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union (Hotell- och Restauranganställdas Förbund) gained 1,177 members; and the Swedish Transport Workers' Union (Svenska Transportarbetarförbundet, Transport) gained 752 members.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2000), University graduate unions gain most new members, article.
