§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Employment what information 522W he has as to the percentage of the work force which is currently unionised in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, each EEC country, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Canada, and South Africa; and how these proportions compare with the levels of unionisation in each of these countries, respectively, five to 10 years ago.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkThe following information has been assembled from a variety of sources. The figures must be treated with some caution as they may not represent the whole picture. For some countries they relate only to members of trade unions which are affiliated to the major trade union confederations.
PROPORTION OF CIVILIAN LABOUR FORCE IN TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP Country Year Trade Union Membership as percentage of total civilian labour force Per cent. United Kingdom 1971 44 1966 39 1961 39 United States of America 1972 22 1967 23 Belgium 1967 65 Denmark 1970 38 France 1969 20 Germany (Federal Republic) 1969 37 Ireland 1969 50 Italy 1969 20 Luxembourg 1971 60 Netherlands 1969 39 Japan 1972 34 1967 34 Sweden 1972 70 1965 63 Australia 1971 52 1966 53 Canada 1972 28 1967 26 South Africa 1968 10