The unions have just launched impressive mobilizations against the pension reform, even though their influence has eroded over the previous decade. This is recalled by a note published on Wednesday 1is February by Dares, the research department of the Ministry of Labor. In 2019, the last year for which the figure is known, the proportion of employees who declared to be members of a workers’ defense organization reached 10.3%, a decline of 0.9 points in six years.
This decrease occurred “after a certain stability since the mid-1990s”, according to Dares. The phenomenon is more marked within the public service, with a rate of members which drops from 19.8% in 2013 to 18.4% in 2019. In the private sector, the loss is less significant during the period considered. (–0.9 points), but it should be noted that union membership is much lower there: only 7.8% in 2019.
The trend can be explained in particular by the rise in precariousness. From 2013 to 2019, the percentage of employees on fixed-term contracts (CDD) increased, particularly in the civil service (+ 2.6 points). That “contributes in part to the decline” subscriptions, CDD holders being less inclined to commit.
A reversible decline?
If the focus is tightening on the private sector, we see that the reflux is clear within one of the most unionized sectors: that of “transport and storage”, where the rate goes from 18% to 16.5%. In this field of economics, “increased competition is affecting large public companies which have been undergoing spin-off processes for several years and the privatization of significant parts of their activities, which weakens the position of organizations [de travailleurs] », underlines the Dares. In addition, the increase in the number of“limited term jobs”almost 5 points more in six years, “not in favor of union membership”.
Some professional circles stand out by registering the opposite evolution. This is the case, among others, of financial and insurance activities, where the percentage of cardholders has increased by 4 points in six years, reaching 16.9% in 2019. “Threats to jobs (…)with the significant digitization of [tâches] and the resulting transformation of jobs, may have encouraged employees to seek representatives in the unions to defend them”, writes the Dares. In addition, organizations operating in this sector may also benefit from their efforts to promote a “service unionism” (legal advice, support for workers in various forms, etc.).
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