Unions Still Struggle Worldwide

As labor unions continue to lose members, some of the strongest efforts are coming from nations with slender labor ranks, according to a report by the International Labor Office.

In its annual “World Labor Report,” to be released today, the ILO said that in 48 of the 92 countries studied, less than 20% of workers now belong to a union.

In the United States, union membership among waged and salaried workers fell by 21.1% from 1985 to 1995, giving it “one of the lowest levels of unionization among industrialized countries,” the report said.

The report’s figures predate last summer’s strike at United Parcel Service of America Inc., which many believe boosted faith in labor unions.

“The era of precipitous decline is past, but that doesn’t mean it has turned round,” ILO spokesman John Doohan said of U.S. membership.

Membership has dropped most dramatically in the former Communist countries of Eastern Europe, with an average decline of 36% from 1985 to 1995.

In the Czech Republic and Poland, union membership is nearly 50% lower.

Canada and Spain bucked the trend with 1.8% and 62.1% increases, respectively, the report said.

In Spain, the boom in union membership accompanied a big move toward private enterprise. Spain’s case, said Doohan, illustrates the report’s argument that “democracy and liberalization of economies are altogether consistent” with high union membership.

In a few countries, union membership has sharply risen--by 130.8% in South Africa and 84.4% in the Philippines, for example.

ILO Director General Michel Hansenne disputed the argument that unions have lost influence as membership has trailed off.

The report said the “strong display of solidarity” in recent labor disputes shows that unions still have a role at a time when “job insecurity and wage inequality are on the increase.”

Hansenne said some of the strongest efforts have come from unions that targeted companies’ images. He highlighted campaigns against firms such as Nike Inc. for alleged use of sweatshop labor in developing countries.

The report also addressed the growing “informal sector”--unprotected, labor-intensive work in cities of developing nations.

The report estimates that of 15.7 million new jobs created in Latin America between 1990 and 1994, about 84% were jobs of this kind.