Union membership in the UK began declining steeply in the 1980s and 1990s, falling from 13 million in 1979 to around 7.3 million in 2000. In September 2012 union membership dropped below 6 million for the first time since the 1940s. Union members include nurses, school meals staff, hospital cleaners, professional footballers, shop assistants, teaching assistants, bus drivers, engineers and apprentices.
@9LD6X8L3wks3W
Hurt, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as long as the people get more equitable working standards
"Helping the economy" can mean many things - what is most important is which arrangement helps the most people.
@8SQTSV43yrs3Y
I don’t really understand the question, it is not nuanced enough for me to answer.
@8SQPLBS3yrs3Y
Hurt, they are becoming corrupt and laying off their people.
@8SPLQY33yrs3Y
They have very little effect on the overall economy but they are important for looking after their members interests
@8SPD6D63yrs3Y
hurt, but they are completely necessary for workers rights and should remain in place
@8SMC9TK3yrs3Y
Hurt, but help individual workers in unions
@8SLXW433yrs3Y
Never joined a union. They are always on the employers side
@8SKRKPL3yrs3Y
The unions themselves aren’t corrupt but some of the senior figures potentially are
@8SKLDCQ3yrs3Y
Help in places but should be politically neutral and donations should be discouraged
@9K4QR5Y2mos2MO
Neither help nor hurt. They are necessary to keep a balance between workforce issues and management overreach.
@9J3G7WJ3mos3MO
Help, when they're all under control by the government and can't organise strikes and instead take the role of bargaining members.
@9HR8Y5T4mos4MO
Largely they are helpful, but some clearly have other motivations other than their members (such as the railway unions).
It depends. Short term, I can see some damage potentially being done, but nothing that isn't temporary. Long term I think that having them around can be of benefit, even if it isn't a straight line to get there.
Hurt, but that’s what they’re designed to do.
@9FKMJVK7mos7MO
They hurt it in the short term but help in the long term if they work successfully for their members
@9FK7G4Y7mos7MO
Hurt. That’s what they’re designed to do
@9FJTRQQ7mos7MO
Hurt, but they are necessary to combat any workforce maltreatment from employers.
Help, in theory but have recently become corrupt, and they should reorganize and reenergize.
@9FCHPN47mos7MO
Hurt but aim to help workers
@9F6P4DZ8mos8MO
Hurt, but are still necessary to guarantee workers rights
@9DYRJX78mos8MO
Hurt in the short term, but help reduce economic inequality in the longer term
@9DXKP888mos8MO
Help, but have recently become psuedo corporations with bosses as opposed to democratic leadership
@979XN3F 8mos8MO
Hurt, but they are necessary for a balance of power
@9DCX33S8mos8MO
Hurt, but are necessary to ensure public workers have a voice
@9DCWFC28mos8MO
Help if they focus on helping employers treat staff fairly and thus retain staff and maintain productivity. Unhelpful if their focus is solely on wages or holding onto lost hope of keeping one job until retirement without change.
@9DC6SLH8mos8MO
@9D2Q9YK9mos9MO
Hurt the economy but they help workers which is important
@9D2G5NJ9mos9MO
Hurt if it is a public union but respect if it is a private union
@9CLCWS810mos10MO
@9CCXMPD11mos11MO
Whilst they may temporarily hurt the economy the economy isn’t the priority it’s the people. They also don’t automatically hurt the economy they may lead to it but this is still a generalisation.
@9C3P28511mos11MO
No far left most of them
@9C29P4X11mos11MO
Hurt, but I still support them because they help the workers massively and keep companies in check.
@9BVHYLRWomen's Equality12mos12MO
Hurt but otherwise they would not be effective
@9BV9D6312mos12MO
Hurt the economy but help the people which I care more about
@9BTX993Conservative12mos12MO
Unions are corrupt relics of the past and are nothing more than a mouthpiece for revolutionaries and communists, and unions should have huge restrictions on their powers and actions to curb dissent and protect the economy.
@9BTJW4S12mos12MO
Hurt, I dont agree with them but I also think that the government has no right to ban them. Although private companies do.
@9BT399812mos12MO
Hurt, but they are necessary for the balance of power
@9BSD4HM12mos12MO
Help, public sector union are necessary as the government has a monopoly on labour wages.
@9BKM8H21yr1Y
Don’t know enough to judge this
@9BH99991yr1Y
They can do both. They are absolutely necessary to enable the voices of workers to be heard but should not be used to bully companies in certain industries into paying above the levels in industries where unions are weaker.
Either way we need to find ways to encourage both employers +unions to work together for the common good (maybe with more profit related benefits)
@9BH853C1yr1Y
Help. Unionisation is a necessary ill to mitigate exploitation that harms the economy far more.
both as they support the mentality of the people. not the economy
@9BDBN9P1yr1Y
Having an individual or body of people to turn to in time of conflict with employers is essential to prevent discrimination
@9BCTDX61yr1Y
Too complex to answer so simply
@9B84XHJ1yr1Y
Help, but its not enough! We need a revolution of the Nationalist worker!
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