Union De-Recognition and Declining Union Density in Britain

Abstract

In Britain, where there are no representation elections and management's recognition of unions is entirely voluntary, a substantial decline in union density since 1979 has been in part attributed to increased instances of union de-recognition by management. This study examines the relationship between union density and union de-recognition at the individual establishment level through an analysis of the panel data set contained in the 1990 national Workplace Industrial Relations Survey. The results indicate that between 1984 and 1990, union recognition was lost in less than 10% of establishments in the sample; changes in union status were closely related to changes in union density; and changes in union density, in turn, resulted from extrinsic and organizational changes, such as increased competition and changes in company size.