§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the scale of registration under the Industrial Relations Act; and if he will make a statement on the importance he attaches to such registration.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkI am informed by the Registrar of Trade Unions and Employers' Associations that on 13th April there were 235 registered trade 43W unions, 241 registered employers' associations and 25 organisations on the Special Register. Twelve other organisations were still on the Provisional Register. The latest available figures of the number of trade unions in this country relate to the end of 1971, when there were 469 organisations of employees with a total membership of 10,935,000. The membership of registered trade unions at the present time is estimated to be over 1 million but precise figures are not yet available.
Registered organisations and their members are entitled to special legal protection and other benefits under the Industrial Relations Act 1971. The attainment and retention of registered status serves as a guarantee to members and to the community generally that the organisations which enjoy these privileges satisfy minimum standards of administration, and that their rules deal comprehensively with the management of the organisation and the rights and obligations of members.