According to figures published in spring 2001, the total membership of Swedish trade unions continued to decline in 2000, with overall union density down to 79% from 84% in 1994. Losses were recorded among the affiliates of the blue-collar LO confederation, while the white-collar TCO and especially the graduate SACO experienced small increases. Recently published research indicates that unions are failing to attract younger workers.
Spring 2001 saw the publication of the 2000 membership figures for Swedish trade unions The three central trade union confederations - bringing together unions representing university graduates, blue-collar workers and white-collar workers respectively - always make their figures public, even when these are less than impressive. As a whole the trade union movement continues to lose members, even if there are some individual gains among the unions representing professional staff. Swedish trade union density stood at 79% in 2000, compared with 84% in 1994.
The three union confederations are the blue-collar Swedish Trade Union Confederation (Landsorganisationen, LO), the white-collar Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation, TCO) and the graduate Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations (Sveriges Akademikers Centralorganisation, SACO). LO and its 18 affiliated unions had a total of just over 2 million members as at 31 December 2000. TCO and its 18 affiliates had about 1,250,000 members, while SACO had 492,706 members. All figures include non-active members such as students and pensioners.
Membership losses and gains
LO lost a total of 50,000 members in 2000. The large trade unions in the industry sector - the Metalworkers' Union (Svenska Metallindustriarbetareförbundet, Metall) and the Union for Service and Communication (Facket för Service och Kommunikation, Seko) - experienced the greatest losses, while the Municipal Workers' Union (Svenska Kommunalarbetareförbundet, Kommunal) also lost many members. Only one LO trade union actually increased its membership, and then only marginally - the Electricians' Union (Elektrikerförbundet) had 80 more members in 2000 than in 1999.
Within the white-collar workers' sphere, TCO increased its membership by about 5,000, or 0.4%, from 1999 to 2000. The increase, however, was mostly among the inactive membership (students, sole traders and the like). Of 18 affiliates, 12 increased their active membership while six lost more members than they gained. The Union for Technical and Clerical Employees in Industry (Svenska Industritjänstemannaförbundet, SIF) gained most new members, at 3,762. The negative trend in membership, especially for white-collar trade unions in the public sector, is marginal on the whole.
SACO had about 14,000 new members in 2000, representing an increase in membership of 2.9% on the previous year. Among SACO's 26 affiliates, the greatest membership increases occurred within the Swedish Association of Scientists (Naturvetareförbundet), the professional associations for economists and lawyers, and the unions covering agriculture and forestry.
According to LO, the unionisation rate for female workers in its domain was 87.2% in 2000 and for male workers 82.6%. The rate for women had increased by 3.4% over the previous 10 years, whereas the rate for men had decreased by 0.5%. Within TCO, the number of male members increased by 1,300 in 2000, whereas the number of female workers decreased by 2,722, with male workers thus making up 37.2% of total membership and female workers 62.8%. In SACO, 47% of members were women and 53% men.
Young workers fail to join unions
The above figures issued by the trade unions themselves illustrate the context for a recent research report by Anders Kjellberg, a researcher at Lund University and the National Institute for Working Life (Arbetslivsinstitutet) in Norrköping. The report (Fackliga organisationer och medlemmar i dagens Sverige), issued in March 2001, examines the development of trade unions and their membership in Sweden .
The study indicates that there has been very large decline in the number of young workers who are members of trade union organisations. Among workers aged 16-24 years old, union density decreased by 17 percentage points from 62% to 45% between 1993 and 2000. There had previously been a decline in union membership among young workers in the 1980s, but this affected mostly unions organising in private service activities in the big cities. The current decline encompasses all categories of young workers, independent of sex, region and sector. Since seven out of 10 young employees are to be found in blue-collar jobs, it is mostly the LO trade unions that have been hit. On the other hand, the proportion of university students with student membership of an affiliate of TCO or SACO increased considerably during the 1990s from about 40% to 50%.
Another reason for decreasing membership rates, according to the report, is the fact that more and more workers choose only to join unemployment insurance funds (Arbetslöshetskassan), and not the trade unions with which the funds have traditionally been associated. Direct membership of unemployment insurance funds is most prevalent in Stockholm where, for example, the funds linked to Metall and the Commercial Employees' Union (Handelsanställdas förbund, Handels) have around a quarter more members than the unions themselves. Among TCO private sector affiliates, the membership of unemployment insurance funds exceeds that of the associated unions by an average of 20%, while the overall average figure is 10% among LO unions, 12.5% among SACO unions and 10% among all unions (up from 6% in 1993).
One reason for these developments, states the study, is that today there is a more critical attitude to trade union membership than in earlier times, especially among young workers. Many workers do not believe that unions succeed in representing their interests at the workplaces, while many trade unions admit that they have difficulties doing so. This, it is claimed, is most evident in the area of the work environment: many workers, in both public and private sectors, employed in "lean" organisations with too few workers suffer from stress and other symptoms, but find it hard to communicate with trade unions on these matters.
A final finding of the report is that the unionisation rate in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is developing somewhat differently to the general trend. During 2000, the rate increased from 56% to 58%, though there were major variations between different groups of workers. The greatest increase in union membership has been among workers aged 30-44 years, while among university graduates the rate increased from 52% to 61% from 1999 to 2000. The lowest unionisation rate is found among ICT workers in the big cities, where it stands at 38% for those aged under 30. Overall, trade union membership among ICT employees is steadily increasing, having started from a relatively low level.
Commentary
The decline in trade union membership is a phenomenon experienced not only in Sweden. Developments within companies and the labour market have made it more difficult for the workers and for the trade unions to function well together. There is, for example, an increasing group of workers employed on fixed-term contracts, who, understandably, find it less meaningful to join a union and engage in union work at the workplace. The new generation of workers furthermore demands developing jobs and personal skill development and may want a local union which can help with this - that is, if they do not deal with it themselves. The "current more decentralised" bargaining system, with local pay negotiations, also demands a greater presence of trade unions at the workplace.
What then could the trade unions do to make their work seem more worth a subscription fee of SEK 300 or more per month? In day-to-day issues, the most important task for a local union is to support the initiatives of the members - ie to promote the development of skills and self-respect. At the central level, the union should represent its members towards society as a whole. In this way, according to Anders Kjellberg, a union might unite: member participation (direct democracy); a kind of "help to self-help"; and acting on the members' behalf (representative democracy). He also suggests that a closer cooperation between the LO and TCO unions, for example through mergers, would make unions' work a lot easier - this is something that is already being discussed. The demarcation lines between blue-collar workers and white-collar workers have already become blurred. Mergers between unions representing these groups would: avoid competition over members; make trade union work in small companies easier and union activities in larger groups of companies stronger; make bargaining over joint collective agreements at different levels feasible; and facilitate the unions' efforts to change work organisation and turn workplaces into "learning organisations".
Finally, it is suggested that, in order to make more young female workers interested in trade union work and thus break the current male dominance in trade union boards, committees etc, more use should be made of gender quotas, special arrangements for women members, and women's meetings, networks and working groups. In this way, the unions might even also attract young male workers' interest by providing more unorthodox forms of trade union work than is often the case today. (Annika Berg, Arbetslivsinstitutet)