Union Decline in Britain

David Blanchflower () and Alex Bryson ()

No 3436, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Abstract: This paper investigates the demise of unionisation in British private sector workplaces over the last quarter century. We show that dramatic union decline has occurred across all types of workplace. Although the union wage premium persists it is quite small in 2004. Negative union effects on employment growth and financial performance are largely confined to the 1980s. Managerial perceptions of the climate of relations between managers and workers have deteriorated since the early 1980s across the whole private sector, whether the workplace is unionised or not.

Keywords: trade unions; wages; employment growth; financial performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-his, nep-lab and nep-ltv
Date: Written 2008-04
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Working Paper: Union Decline in Britain (2008)
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