Women are leaving unions in droves: we need answers

[IwantToRetire]

From sexual harassment to the denial of flexible working patterns, women’s issues are sidelined and their voices silenced in our movement – and they are voting with their feet https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/women-are-leaving-unions-droves-we-need-answers

Statistics published by the Department of Business and Trade reveal that trade union membership declined by 200,000 in 2022. Women employed in the private sector account for a staggering two-thirds of this decline (129,000).Women employed by the private sector, likely to be in low-paid, part-time or precarious work, are those most in need of trade union protection — so why are so many leaving?

If the most oppressed half of the population are leaving trade unions surely this is a red flag that must be taken seriously by the entire labour and trade union movement?
Questions should be raised around these figures to ensure that working women are not reaching conclusions that unions are irrelevant, unimportant or are disinterested in their rights.

We should not permit this staggering rate of women leavers to be brushed under the carpet.

For anyone who cant access the article it has been archived at https://archive.ph

(Off topic: Interesting that when I added the Morning Star link above mumsnet did NOT link to the article and show the article title, photo etc.. Usually I find these atuomatic links quite annoying, but am now intrigued. Does mumsnet have a list of urls they never want to be linked to!)

If it’s the lowest paid women who are leaving it could be that they just can’t afford anything not directly related to the daily cost of living. It would be very plausible though that they are leaving because they haven’t seen any real benefits from belonging and can’t afford to keep paying in just in case things change.

I can't say I'm surprised. I'm sure low-paid workers, many of whom are female, as pointed out above, are looking for costs they can cut, and this is a less awful option than ending pension contributions. If unions were good at what they do people would see the union subs as essential. However, years ago when I belonged to USS, I rapidly concluded it was a complete waste of time and money, so I left. Many of the people seeking, and, incredibly, gaining elected posts seemed far more interested in Palestine than the humdrum business of trying to improve wages, pensions and working conditions.

This is fascinating, OP, thanks for linking.

There's a long-running thread on Academic Common Room about the problems of UCU for women members. Obviously most UCU and ex-UCU women won't be low-paid and in precarious work so it doesn't speak to that point.

People are prioritisng heating and eating as we heard all winter. So survival.

Anecdotally, many of my female friends think a union is a waste of money, seeing no long term need to be a member when pay negotiations are done without their direct input. Several have has experience of incompetent or bullying TU representatives in their workplaces. How do you go to the Union for help when your Rep is the bully?

Unions also refuse to switch out your reps if you complain of incompetence during any represented work.....

I can see why the Morning Star is going on about "our" movement but the reality is that since Thatcher when unions were demonised the media, just hasn't bother reflecting them, so many people dont even think about being a member.

And then if you are a member you find out that the working practice is so unapproachable that it is hard to engage.

And as said up thread, for women doing minimum wage jobs that they dont have a vested interest in (and unions dont prioritise) it not worth the union fees or the time to be involved.

But ... workers do need representation.

Yes you are trapped if you rep is a shit!

I wonder if in fact union outreach and representation could achieve more online as no many people, particularly women are so short on time, and ability to get to meetings or whatever.

Unions are like many charities that were established with good intentions. But when the original aims are (largely) achieved they look for new angles to stay relevant. And in doing that they lose sight of their main purpose and end up alienating many of those that they used to represent.

I find it hard to believe that the aim of unions is any where near being achieved. And if anything working conditions, pay, hours, control by automated monitoring, means that working condition are far worse than they have been for decades.

But like many organisations there is always somebody who sees the opportunity to build their own little empire.

UCU, obviously, not USS above. Sigh.

Thanks for sharing this! I'm not in UCU, in part because DH is a member and we need at least one salary to survive. I always felt guilty about that, and thought I might join one day, but watching UCU over the years makes me really doubt their support for female academics. Reading the thread, I think I'll be staying out a while longer.

I have been a union member for about 20 years, maybe more. My last place of work had no recognised union, but a couple of times, I was very glad to have them to support me, through a disciplinary that shouldn't have happened, and in my recent redundancy. I'm still a member, but my current subs are about £2 a month till I find work.

I think a lot of people don't understand how unions can support you, especially if there's no recognised union in their workplace. And they can be only as good as your rep which can vary between excellent and terrible.

Depends what you're comparing to - most people's pay and working conditions are far better then they were 100 years, or 50 years ago. Maybe not so much compared to 20 years ago, but I'd suggest that most of the big arguments have been won and in most jobs there is less scope for obvious improvements by being in a union.

I haven't bothered with a union since I got made redundant (bit of a dodgy situation) on maternity and they did nothing despite saying they would look at my case and join me at meetings to point out errors,

All because I was management (only on 42k). I begged for support but got nothing. I think many old style "shop stewards" type reps care nothing for women or their struggles in the workplace especially when they are higher grades

This.

Bullies are attracted to roles, cost of living and trans activists removing their rights too.

The only reason many people I know are still in a union is because they want the support should they ever find themselves in a legal situation in the workplace.

There's no other reason. DH's union is more obsessed with events in other countries than actually securing workplace rights and securities.

I'm in PCS and so far I've been pretty pleased with how much they've focused on their actual job (our pay and conditions) rather than worrying about Palestine etc as some other unions seem prone to. I know there are a handful of fringe idiots trying to get their TRA type nonsense on the agenda and I'd much prefer they didn't, but it's not been given real airtime AFAIK. I hope that won't change when Mark Serwotka steps down shortly. I think he's sound, I suspect he shares his wife's feminism.

I think much of the British left (TUs, Labour etc) has been misogynist since the beginning of time. Not all, but lots of them. I'm not surprised that for many women, union membership is something they think of as an avoidable cost.

most of the big arguments have been won and in most jobs there is less scope for obvious improvements by being in a union

I dont know what world you are living in but with the increase of zero hours contracts, unrealistic targets, timed production, working conditions are going downhill.

There may be a privilege few who have still got old time contracts but most of the "newer" jobs have no security, no benefits, no holiday pay.

The irony is that this increase in shitty work conditions mean that many workers in casual work have now organised, but dont always think of them as union.

Just because it isn't in the news doesn't mean it isn't happening.

If even Good Housekeeping is publishing articles about this it would suggest that many people no longer have the luxury of contracted jobs https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/consumer-advice/consumer-rights/a38103417/zero-hour-contract/

This.

I paid my subs for years, but when I needed help for a sex discrimination case, my rep advised me that he couldn’t help - and I should just feel grateful for having a well paid job. I lawyered up independently and negotiated an excellent exit package. Haven’t bothered with union membership since.

What @notsurewherenotsurewhy said

‘I think much of the British left (TUs, Labour etc) has been misogynist since the beginning of time. Not all, but lots of them’.

Completely true, they just hide it better than men on the right. In fact overall I find it more insidious and awful that they pretend . I was a union rep for 15 years in local government and then higher education.

Plus overall extreme left activist often high Jack unions, it has always been thus. The SWP had loads of reps in UNISON at one point, no idea what it’s like now. They were purely just pushing their own agenda.

Is pay really better compared to 50 years ago, if you take into account the cost of renting or buying a house? (Or other costs that could be mentioned.)

Why would any woman want to pay to be part of an organisation that cannot define them, bows to GI ideology and is more interested in rainbows than women’s issues and conditions?

🤷🏽‍♀️

Every woman I know who has left — around 5 individuals, several different unions — has left due to gender ideology. You can imagine which profession easily (teaching). Same process as with Labour, LibDems and Greens haemorrhaging women.

IME women leave because they are liw earners and/or lone parents and can't afford to take IA. Which is a shame because my union tries it's best to include women's concerns. These women are ripe for exploitative practices by the employer. It's a vicious circle.

*low earners

I hardly think all of their aims have been achieved!