The proportion of workers who are trade union members has continued to slide and is almost a quarter lower than it was 16 years ago, according to official figures quoted in the Financial Times of 31 July. The biggest decline has been in the private sector where union membership has fallen to a low of 16.1% of the workforce, compared with 59% of public sector employees who remain union members.

Historically, trade union membership was high in manufacturing industry, motivated by the need for collective action to counter the power of the employers when a relatively immobile workforce had limited choice of employment accessible from where they dwelled. In the early days of industrialisation, employees lived in tight-packed terrace houses, within earshot of the works whistle, and walked to their jobs in factory, mill or mine. With growing incomes and the development of transport technology, people became more mobile, on bikes, buses, trains and cars. They could travel farther in the time available for the daily commute, which allowed more choice of jobs and of employers. Dissatisfaction with the present employers could now be remedied by seeking out another, rather than through collective action. So the decline of trade union membership in the private sector is understandable. In the public sector, terms and condition tend to be negotiated nationally, so there remains a case for collective representation.