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How do trade unions recruit their members?

Different unions cover different jobs and industries. People are able to join the most appropriate union for their job or sector.

People are recruited to unions in different ways. Most people find out about the union by talking to colleagues at the workplace and then make direct contact with the union. Others are contacted by the union representative who gives them information about the union and tells them how to join. Some employers and personnel officers tell employees about the union when they start working for the organisation.

Unions are stepping up their efforts to attract new members. Some are using adverts in newspapers and magazines, television commercials and leaflets as part of high profile recruitment campaigns. The target for these efforts is often people who work part time, in temporary jobs or in small organisations where in the past union membership has not been very high.

Begun in 1998, the 'New Unionism' project aimed to boost Trade Union membership, especially in newly-emerging industries and amongst members of the population who have been under-represented traditionally in the trade unions. The project set up new union roles of Academy Organisers who were trained intensively for 12 months in order to work as specialist union organisers. Research was carried out by Cardiff Business School in 2003 into the project's effectiveness; the resulting report is The Organising Academy - five years on.

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