UK Trade union membership rises to 6.6 million

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.ier.org.uk/news/uk-trade-un ... 6-million/

Union membership numbers rise by 192,000 in 2025

Union membership rose by 192,000 to 6.6 million in 2025.

Union membership among public sector workers is at its highest level in 15 years. The number of public sector worker belonging to a trade union increased by 116,000 people in 2025 to reach four million.

The Department for Business and Trade figures showed that trade union membership among employees rose in the private sector by 76,000 on the year to 2.5 million in 2025.

There was a slightly bigger increase in trade union membership among public sector employees of 116,000 to 4.0 million in 2025 driven by an increase in male employee membership of 142,000. The number of female public sector employees who were union members decreased by 26,000 in 2025.

The proportion of UK employees who were trade union members rose from 22.0% in 2024 to 22.4% in 2025.

The number of male employees who were union members rose by 153,000 to around 2.9 million in 2025 and the number of female employees who were union members increased by 39,000 to 3.7 million.

Close to two-thirds (65%) of employee union members have a degree or equivalent or other higher education qualification compared to 52% of non-union employees and 54% of all employees.

Over 4-in-10 (43%) employees who were trade union members had been with their current employer for 10 years or more, compared to under a quarter (24%) of non-union member employees.

The proportion of employees who were trade union members rose in both England and Scotland in 2025. The biggest increase was of 2.4 percentage points to 29.4% in Scotland, while in England the increase was 0.4 percentage points. The proportion of employees who were trade union members in Wales decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 29.3% and dropped by 1.7 percentage points to 32.4% in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is responsible, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS), for publishing the annual statistics on trade union membership.

These statistics are primarily produced from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Therefore, they have been re-accredited as Official Statistics in Development.

Trade union membership in the UK peaked in 1979, when 13.2 million people were members of a trade union. However, this modest increase will be seen as a sign of renewed interest in trade unions in difficult economic times.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

It’s great to see more people across the country joining trade unions. There has never been a more important time to be a member of one. Whether it’s fighting for fair pay and conditions, demanding better health and safety, or tackling the scourge of insecure work, unions are delivering real change for working people.

Thanks to trade union campaigning, millions more workers will now benefit from stronger rights at work – including day one sick pay and stronger protections from unfair dismissal. When unions do well, working people do well. It pays to be in a union.

Looking ahead, Nowak added:

Today’s boost in membership is a huge vindication of the amazing organising work done by unions and reps right across the country – but we are not complacent.

It’s now time to step up our efforts – especially with the repeal of restrictive anti-trade union legislation and new rights for unions to access workplaces. Unions have to grow, to represent more workers and get more workplaces covered by collective bargaining. That’s how we raise wages, improve conditions and cut inequality.

We won’t rest until every worker has the security, dignity and respect at work they deserve.

[qwerty2]

Bet the cwu is the only one that's gone down