European trade unionism

John Monks (jmonks@etuc.org)
Advisor: Advisor: Juliane Bir (jbir@etuc.org)
Sec: Droeghaeg Cindy (cdroegha@etuc.org)
Tel: +32 2 2240439
fax: +32 2 22404546

Trade union membership has fallen in Europe over the last 30 years. This drop is due largely to the decline of sectors which were at the heart of trade unionism, such as heavy industries like mining and steel making. There are also cultural reasons: young people, migrants and private sector employees are less inclined to join a union. A number of organisations have launched activities and campaigns to curb the fall in affiliations and even to increase their membership. The ETUC has decided to play an active role in revitalising trade unionism by launching a campaign to demonstrate that the European trade union movement plans to remain actively involved in issues of importance to the largest possible number of European citizens and workers.