Trade Union Representation and Skills Investment

In recent years, training and lifelong learning have become important items on the agenda of trade unions. There has been a considerable expansion in the availability of union learning through the development of union learning programmes, the creation of union learning representatives and funding from the government for trade unions to deliver workplace learning.

The focus of this research, undertaken by Professor Andy Dickerson at the University of Sheffield, is whether trade union recognition influences skills investment within workplaces. The research used data from the 2004 and 2006 Employer Skills Survey to look at the relationship between trade union representation and investment in skills.  It focused on recruitment difficulties, skills gaps and training provision. To do this, the use of robust statistical techniques was required. 

The key findings from the report are:

• There were no significant differences in recruitment difficulties and skills gaps between unionised and non-unionised workplaces.
• The analysis shows that unionised workplaces are more likely to train their staff as well as train more of their staff.  They are also more likely to offer both off-the-job and on-the-job training and participate in government training schemes. 
• However, in general, the analysis finds that these differences between unionised and non-unionised workplaces are the result of two factors.  Firstly, unionised workplaces are larger and larger workplaces provide more training more their staff.  And secondly, training is also higher in the public sector which is more unionised from the private sector.
• Once establishment size and sectoral differences are taken into account, there are few differences in training activity in unionised and non-unionised workplaces. 
• The exception to this was that, in 2006 only, unionised workplaces were significantly more likely to provide or fund training for their staff and trained a significantly higher proportion of their workforce.
• Despite this limited evidence to suggest some differences in training activity, the relationship between unionised workplaces and increased training activity was found to be not "causal".

In conclusion, the analysis shows that unionised workplaces train as often as and as many of their staff as workplaces which do not recognise unions for bargaining purposes. In 2006, however, not only do more unionised workplaces offer more training but also a higher proportion of workers are trained in these workplaces as compared with non-unionised workplaces. This suggests that, in 2006 only, there may be evidence of supplementary training taking place in unionised workplaces.

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