Study suggests employer support for unions would boost numbers

A new study on employee voice in the workplace concludes that many non-union employees would be prepared to join a union if their employer supported union organization.

A just published study, entitled Employee Voice in the Irish Workplace: Status and Prospect (2006), by John Geary, associate professor of industrial relations and human resources at University College Dublin (UCD), suggests that unions could boost their recruitment figures if employers were supportive of union membership. Professor Geary says that if the overall pro-union sentiment in Ireland among those employees surveyed was to be realised, this would translate into a union density level of around 71%, twice the current level.

Employee voice in Ireland has traditionally been associated with trade union representation and collective bargaining.

Recent data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicates that union density now stands at 35%, down from a peak of around 62% in the early 1980s. According to Geary, this decline points to the existence of a significant representation gap, and draws attention to the mechanisms through which employees would wish to voice their concerns to employers.

Geary’s findings are drawn from two surveys: the NCPP/ESRI/UCD Survey of Employees’ Attitudes and Expectations of the Workplace (2003) and the UCD Employee Voice Survey (2005).

To explain the main reasons for the decline in union density, John Geary cites a shift in the structure of employment away from sectors where unions have traditionally been strong towards new areas like services. The dependence on inward investment from foreign multinationals has also been a factor, with US firms, in particular, choosing to remain non-union.

Union members in unionized workplaces were asked why they continued to be members. The predominant reasons relate to the perceived advantages which union membership bestows, principally the protection unions offer members (93%) and unions’ ability to secure better wages and conditions of employment (89%).

For a significant number, union membership is experienced as a constraint: it is perceived as a condition of employment (69%), or a consequence of informal pressure from work colleagues (68%).

On the whole though, trade union members in Ireland are positively disposed towards union membership, value being members, and are generally committed to trade unionism. To this extent, Geary suggests that union organization is built on relatively robust foundations, and there is little evidence to suggest a weakening in members’ orientation towards unions.

In addition, Irish employees have high expectations of the level of employee voice they expect their employers to provide. However, these aspirations have not always been met, he suggests. 'The evidence points to a significant gap in perceptions between management and employees as to the level of influence which workers are permitted in the workplace'.

With regard to non-union employees’ views of union voice, Geary says it is important to distinguish between those employed in unionized and non-unionized employments. The latter were more likely to view unions as confrontational and fear that joining a union might damage their career prospects.

Significantly, Geary points out that 'only 24% of non-union members employed in unionized companies had ever been asked to join a union. The remainder (76%) had never been approached to consider union membership'.

In unionized workplaces, a little over 40% of non-union employees indicated a willingness to join a trade union. Meanwhile, in non-union workplaces, the propensity to unionize 'is striking, and is especially marked in situations where management offer their support for union representation. In such circumstances, almost two-thirds of respondents (64%) indicated they would join a union if asked'. However, this figure drops substantially to 28% in situations where management is not prepared to support union organization.

Regarding the extent to which these expectations for more voice can be met in the future, Geary says: 'the prospects for the future of union voice at workplace level are not propitious. Many employers establishing new operations are at best indifferent, and at worst hostile, to unions. In such circumstances, many employees do not feel secure in seeking union representation'.

'While employers might accommodate union influence over wages and conditions of employment, a voice agenda which includes having a say over the organisation of work, training and a greater say generally in company decisions is often seen to represent a significant challenge to managerial prerogative, and may be rebuffed'.

Overall, Geary’s analysis would suggest that a significant representation/voice gap is evident in Irish workplaces, but that the prospects for bridging this gap are not great.

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