ALMOST TWO-thirds of workers have no affiliation to a trade union or staff association, a workplace survey by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found.
Just 15.9 per cent of under-25s are union members, down from 27.8 per cent when the last ESRI survey was conducted in 2003, and fewer than one-quarter, or 24.9 per cent of private-sector workers are members, compared to 30 per cent in 2003.
Membership increased to more than 40 per cent among people aged 40 and over. Union membership among public sector-workers remains strong at 68.7 per cent, according to The Changing Workplace: A Survey of Employees’ Views and Experiences, in which over 5,000 employees and 3,000 employers participated.
Overall membership has fallen from 37.7 per cent to 34.3 per cent since 2003, with the numbers of construction (22 per cent), manufacturing (33 per cent) and retail workers (21 per cent) down significantly. It shows women (35.7 per cent) are more likely than men (33.2 per cent) to be in a union.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said union membership stood at about 42 per cent of those eligible to join. It said that in the Republic there were around 600,000 members of unions affiliated to Congress, while there were around 18,000 other workers in unions and representative bodies that were not affiliated.
The survey found employees are more willing to work harder to keep their jobs, with 61 per cent of businesses having reduced their workforce in the previous two years. Some 33 per cent of workers say their sense of job security has fallen, while some 54 per cent of workers say the pressure they are under has increased. Three-fifths of workers say their workplace responsibilities have increased in the past two years, while 52 per cent say they are now expected to make more decisions.
Some 89 per cent said they were more willing to work hard to help their company succeed, up 8 per cent since 2003. But 47 per cent said they did not have sufficient time to get everything done, up from 38 per cent in 2003.
The ESRI said the study suggested workers “are more willing to accept change and to take on more responsibility; they are registering higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment and are more involved in decision-making”.
Some 45 per cent of workers experienced an increase in the use of technology in their job, but the numbers who received training from employers – 49 per cent – in the last two years fell.
The ESRI said Ireland continues to lag well behind best performing countries in this area.
“There is clearly a need to actively promote training, upskilling and learning in Irish workplaces. In particular, employers, Government and unions need to fully explore innovative ways of tackling the barriers that are preventing Ireland from achieving a substantial improvement in the level and patterns of participation in workplace training and learning,” it said.
The survey found one-fifth of workers experienced a fall in their hourly earnings, with public sector staff (37 per cent) more frequently reporting a reduction than those in the private sector (16 per cent).
The survey was conducted following the imposition of the pension levy on public sector workers but before the pay cut introduced in the budget or Croke Park agreement came into effect.
The survey found the average worker earned €707 a week between March and June last year. Men earned an average of €808 per week – about one-third more than women.
ESRI SURVEY MAIN FINDINGS
54%
of employees reported the pressure they worked under had increased in previous two years
33%
said their job security had fallen
45%
have experienced an increase in the use of technology in their job
52%
said their involvement in decision-making had risen
61%
reported a rise in responsibilities over the last two years
21%
reported a decline in hourly pay in the previous two years (37 per cent in the public sector and 16 per cent in the private sector)
- In the period March-June 2009, private sector workers earned an average of €678 per week, while public sector workers earned €792 and employees of commercial semi-State organisations made €809.
- Men earned an average of €808 per week – about one-third more than women.
- Figures taken from The Changing Workplace: A Survey of Employees' Views and Experiences
STEVEN CARROLL