September 19, 2001—The British Trades Union Congress (TUC) reports that TUC unions continue to introduce a wide range of new services for their members and plan to offer even more in the future, according to this year’s Trade Union Trends survey.
Focus on union services shows that unions have brought in 48 new services for their members this year, and plan to introduce a further 25 in the next six months. These services are mainly financially linked and include shopping discounts, insurance, and a credit union. Others include programs to bring the Internet to low paid workers and courses for teachers in Wales to improve their Welsh.
Unions are expanding their services through telephone help lines and reported running 36 help lines offering services ranging from general legal advice to debt counseling. These phone lines are apparently well used, with responding unions taking an average of 17,000 calls each—over 306,000 during the past year.
Focus on union services also looks at unions’ efforts to recruit and keep existing members, and at their own staffing structures. The survey reports that twenty-seven unions outlined specific recruitment campaigns, generating membership increases among women, part-timers, Black, Asian, and young workers. For more information visit the Trades Union Congress.
