UNSPECIFIED. (1994) DECLINING UNION DENSITY IN THE 1980S - WHAT DO PANEL-DATA TELL US. BRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, 32 (3). pp. 413-431. ISSN 0007-1080

Abstract

In this paper we analyse data from the 1980-4 WIRS panel for the light they can shed on the causes of the decline in aggregate trade union density in the UK. We argue that, contrary to conventional wisdom, intra-establishment union density did, on average, decline between 1980 and 1984. This suggests that a traditional compositional change story is untenable. We proceed to investigate the correlation of intra-establishment change with variables suggested by the various hypotheses advanced to explain declining density over the period. We find some evidence for an influence of intra-establishment compositional changes, but the most statistically significant variables are wages and unemployment. These take the wrong sign, however, to support the business cycle interpretation of falling aggregate union density.

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