Public views of trade unions analysed

Surveys conducted over 1990-2003 and examined in this article confirm the fact that trade union membership is in long-term decline in the Czech Republic. The main reasons for the shrinking membership are linked with the sweeping socio-economic changes that Czech society went through as a result of the major transformation processes launched at the start of the 1990s and continuing in part to this day. The research also finds that a relatively high proportion of respondents believe that trade unions are necessary to safeguard employees’ interests.

The results of various sociological surveys allow the public’s view of trade unions and trade union issues to be mapped, at least in guideline terms, from the start of the 1990s. The data used in this article is taken from: regular annual surveys by the Institute (since 2001 the Centre) for Public Opinion Research (Institut pro výzkum veřejného mínění, IVVM, later Centrum pro výzkum veřejného mínění, CVVM); research organised by the Research Institute of Labour and Social Affairs, RILSA (Výzkumný ústav práce a sociálních věcí, VÚPSV) and the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Sociologický ústav Akademie věd České republiky, SOÚ AV ČR) in 2003; research conducted by Středisko empirických výzkumů (STEM); and information about similar research published in the specialist press.

Scale and structure of trade union membership

The research indicates that trade union membership is in long-term decline. According to CVVM data, in 2003 the proportion of trade union members among people over 15 years of age stood at 12%, while the proportion of trade union members among employees was 22%. In 2001, almost 10% of respondents stated that they were not trade union members even though unions operated at their workplace. In its 2000 survey, IVVM found that only 21% of respondents would welcome a trade union organisation being established at their workplace.

IVVM and CVVM research has mapped the development of trade union membership since the start of the 1990s until 2003. The two sets of data indicate that the decline in trade union membership from 1990 to 2003 was 50% or 62% respectively. Table 1 below shows how the percentage of trade union members in the entire population over the age of 15 and among employees changed from 1990 to 2003.

Source: IVVM, CVVM, Institute of Sociology, MS5 project 'Means and effectiveness of mediating interests' POPULATION 200, N=2,238.

The findings of the research suggest that the decline in trade union membership is generally connected with certain 'public opinion legacies' from the past. To a certain extent, behaviour and expectation patterns that are inherited from the past and support the formal or passive union membership that applied under the previous regime continue to be reproduced in society. Part of the public, it is argued, has not yet fully recognised that the trade unions’ principal task is to negotiate the fundamental aspects of employment - ie wages, working conditions etc.

The research indicates that it is not just personal conviction or a willingness or reluctance to defend one’s own interests that determines trade union membership. Respondents are often anxious that joining a union will result in sanctions being brought against them by their employer. The sense of being at risk can be measured in the light of agreement or disagreement with the statement 'work in the trade unions tends to be a thorn in the side of management and can complicate employees’ lives or careers'- 63.5% of respondents agreed with this statement in 2003.

The key objective reasons for the decline in trade union membership are, however, linked with the turbulent socio-economic changes that Czech society has undergone in consequence of the major transformation processes set in motion at the start of the 1990s and continuing to this day. These influences are reflected in developments on the labour market, including: the loss of trade unions’ traditional membership bases during the privatisation and restructuring of large industrial concerns; the privatisation of small establishments operating in the services sector; and the change in manufacturing conditions resulting from the introduction of new industrial technologies and fields of activity and from new forms of enterprise and the related new forms of employment etc.

Compared with the incontestable changes in the overall scale of trade union membership, the developments in the structure of the trade unions’ membership base are less dramatic. The framework structural data acquired at the end of the 1990s and at the start of the current decade paint a relatively constant picture. Levels of trade union membership among men and women are practically equal (in contrast to the representation of men and women in trade union functions); and there are no major differences across age groups, either. Around 19% of respondents in the 20-29 age group were trade union members in 2000; the 'younger middle' generation has slightly higher membership levels (21% of respondents aged 30-44 claimed to be trade union members). Only 6% of people with elementary education were trade union members in 2000 (8% in 2001), with figures of: 13% for people with vocational education without matriculation (10% in 2001); 19% for people with matriculation (18% in 2001); and 20% for people with completed tertiary education (14% in 2001). As far as membership according to respondents’ occupation is concerned, 29% of manual workers were trade union members in 2000 (27% in 2001).

According to respondents’ own assessment of their standard of living, trade union membership among people with a 'bad' rather than 'good' standard of living was above average at the end of the 1990s (17% in 1999, 18% in 2000).

In terms of political persuasion, 20% of trade union members were supporters of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy, KSČM) in 2000 (11% in 2001), 18% were supporters of the Union of Freedom-Democratic Union (Unie svobody-Demokratická unie,US-DEU) (5% in 2001), 17% of the Czech Social Democratic Party (Česká strana sociálnědemokratická,ČSSD) (22% in 2001), 10% of the Civic Democratic Party (Občanská demokratická strana, ODS) (10% in 2001), and 8% of the Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People’s Party (Křesťanská a demokratická unie - Československá strana lidová, KDU-CSL) (6% in 2001). Supporters of left-wing parties were also more convinced of the importance of the trade unions’ role in society - this is especially true of CSSD supporters since 1997.

Trade union membership rises with increasing firm size. In 2000, 3% of respondents declaring trade union membership worked in enterprises with up to 25 employees (5% in 2001); 18% in enterprises with 25 to 100 employees (22% in 2001); 44% in enterprises with 101 to 500 employees (30% in 2001); and 49% in enterprises with over 500 employees (46% in 2001).

Major differences in the proportion of union membership were also found in relation to the ownership structure of employers. In 2000, 10% worked in private enterprises (12% in 2001); 33% in the state, municipal or public sector (32% in 2001); and 40% in enterprises that are part state and part private (41% in 2001).

Confidence in and importance of trade unions

A question regarding the public’s confidence in the trade unions has formed part of the abovementioned sociological research since 1991. The 'confidence factor' has been a regular feature of research findings (in IVVM surveys) since 1995 - see table 2 below.

One major barrier to society’s confidence in trade unions takes the form of prejudices harboured by part of society, according to commentators. In 1992, one-third of respondents still believed that trade unions were a relic of the old regime. A year later, only every fifth respondent concurred with this notion; and in 1997 just 15% of respondents held that view. Linking the trade unions with the Communist regime was naturally more frequent in the first half of the 1990s, and their legitimacy has gradually increased.

The degree of confidence was also influenced, especially at the start of the 1990s, by an opinion held by part of the public that the trade unions care only about their officials and not about their rank-and-file members. Every second respondent was of that opinion in 1992, and almost two-thirds of respondents even in 1993. This opinion became a minority in the public in the following years, however.

Source: CVVM press release po30422,

The data indicate that throughout the period under scrutiny the public did not have a particularly positive attitude towards the trade unions and was inclined not to trust the unions. Since the second half of the 1990s, the degree of confidence in the trade unions stabilised at over 33% (ie over a third of respondents trusted the trade unions). A relatively major decline in public confidence came at the turn of 2000 and 2001, with a fall of more than 6 percentage points.

As far as the way confidence is spread over various age groups of respondents is concerned, young people are more likely not to trust the trade unions than older people. Respondents aged up to 30 also display a lack of basic information about the role of the trade unions, however, and respondents often have no opinion on the issues under scrutiny. In terms of education, most respondents distrustful of the trade unions are found amongst those people with tertiary education. Employees in non-manual occupations, people in towns with 20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants and supporters of CSSD and KSCM are more likely to trust the trade unions. Conversely, the greatest incidence of distrust was found among men, people aged 45-59, entrepreneurs, people from municipalities with 5,000 to 20,000 inhabitants and supporters of the right-wing ODS.

The degree of confidence in the trade unions differs according to the organisational hierarchy of the unions, ie whether people are speaking in terms of their basic organisations, a trade union or a trade union confederation - see table 3 below.

Source: Institute of Sociology, MS5 project 'Means and effectiveness of mediating interests', EMPLOYEES 2003, N=1009.

Table 3 shows clearly that the questioned employees most frequently trust trade union organisations operating at the workplace, undoubtedly for the simple reason that they have most experience with these organisations. Conversely, the lowest levels of confidence among respondents are found in trade union umbrella structures ('national trade union management') eg the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (Českomoravská komora odborových svazů, ČMKOS) or the Association of Independent Trade Unions (Asociace samostatných odborů, ASO).

Trade unions and confederations are often criticised by union members and non-members for being fragmented and disunited and for a low level of mutual support and solidarity between individual trade unions. Another important reason for criticising trade union confederations is the close link between their leaders and politicians, especially the ruling CSSD.

Confidence in all three tiers of the trade union movement is greater among employees in large enterprises (over 250 employees) and rises with advancing age and higher levels of education.

The massive decline in membership that has been taking place since the start of the 1990s has had no manifest effect on the public’s conviction regarding the importance of trade unions in a democratic system. Over the long term - ie since 1995 but bar 1996 (64%) - around 70% of respondents from the population aged over 18 have regarded the trade unions as useful (STEM, Trends 1995-2003).

The 2003 'EMPLOYEES' survey found that 80% of employees are convinced of some need for trade unions for safeguarding their rights. The conviction among employees that trade unions are necessary to protect employees’ rights remained between 70% and 80% throughout the 1990s. Significantly greater agreement with this idea was found among employees aged over 50, those working in enterprises with more than 250 employees and, understandably, among trade union members. By contrast, just 16% of employees are convinced that trade unions are superfluous or even detrimental. The proportion of employees with this conviction has remained fairly unchanged throughout the past 10 years at 14% to 18%.

Trade unions’ protection of employees’ interests

According to the 'EMPLOYEES' survey, just under one-third of employees (32%) believe that the trade unions can help enforce employees’ rights and help resolve disputes with employers. This attitude is more prevalent among trade union members and employees aged over 50. By contrast, younger employees and non-members are less optimistic about the trade unions’ ability to help employees achieve justice.

One-third of employees are passive and are resigned to the fact that employees have no way of asserting their rights and that employers will always do whatever they want. This pessimistic view is more widespread among non-members (40%) and in manual occupations (41%). However, significantly fewer employees with tertiary education (22%) and higher-level professionals (20%) share this pessimistic view.

Some 28% of employees prefer to resolve disputes with employers independent of the trade unions - see table 4 below. This attitude is most widespread among employees with tertiary education (40%) and higher-level professionals (43%).

Source: Institute of Sociology, MS5 project 'Means and effectiveness of mediating interests', EMPLOYEES 2003, N=1009.

One-third of respondents stated that they had real experience of situations where trade union membership has helped resolve a problem of the respondent or one of his or her acquaintances. This positive experience is more widespread among trade union members (61%) (just 19% of non-members have a similar experience) and employees aged over 50 (43%).

Commentary

Despite the long-term and evidently irreversible decline in trade union membership, several positive and promising aspects of public attitudes towards trade unions can be found. The main aspect is the long-term trend found in a relatively high percentage of respondents who believe that the trade unions are necessary to safeguard employees’ interests; the population’s long-term conviction that the trade unions are an important part of the democratic system is another positive. As regards the outlook for trade unions’ future, the one-third of employees who have direct or indirect experience with help from the trade unions in resolving their problems, or who at least believe that the trade unions are able to help them assert their rights, cannot be overlooked. (Aleš Kroupa, Renáta Vašková and Jaroslav Hála, Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs)