Workers flock to unions

Wales has the highest level of trade union membership in the UK, according to figures released on Tuesday.

The news came as union delegates gathered in Cardiff on the eve of this year's Wales TUC conference.

After declining throughout the years of Conservative government, trade union membership now seems to be making a comeback.

Fewer manual workers means less members

The figures show that membership has risen by 60,000 in Britain during the past year.

This marks the third successive annual increase.

The upturn has been achieved despite the loss of more than 20,000 jobs within Welsh industry last year.

The latest figures indicate that unions are now successfully recruiting in some of the newer workplaces such as call centres and financial services.

Around 40% of the Welsh workforce now belongs to a union - compared to just 23% in south east England.

Despite the increase, the membership figures do not compare to the heyday of the 1970s when two out of three Welsh workers belonged to a union.

Part-time

The decline of union membership has been difficult to reverse.

That is because of changed in the economy which have led to fewer male industrial unskilled workers, and more female service sector workers.

And fewer manual workers mean fewer union members.

The labour market has changed dramatically over the past 20 years.

Part-time work has increased, more women are earning their own incomes, and more people are self-employed.

All of these groups are harder to organise in unions that have full-time manual workers.

In addition, the economy has been shifting from manufacturing to the service sector.

Jobs have continued to decline in industry, construction, and energy-related firms, even when the economy has been growing.