§ Mr. ForthTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of the work force are members of trades unions in each member state of the European Union. [14504]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyI have been asked to reply.
The following table contains the information sought:
Member state Union density, 1995 Austria 41 Belgium 54 Denmark 80 Finland 79 France 9 Germany 29 Greece 24 Ireland 55 Italy 44 Netherlands 26 Luxembourg n/a Portugal 26 Spain 19 Sweden 91 United Kingdom 33 Sources:
ILO World Labour Report, 1997–98, OECD Employment Outlook July 1997.
Notes:
All figures for 1995, the most recent consistently available, bar Belgium (1994) and Ireland (1990). Figures for Luxembourg are unavailable. Union density is union members as a proportion of wage and salary earners. Figures are compiled in a variety of different ways across member states and are not strictly comparable in all cases.