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Members of trade unions from the hospitality sector will fall to 1% by 2050, according to Mitrefinch.
The workforce management solutions provider’s found only 3% of the industry’s workers are unionised, compared to 17% of the manufacturing sector and 35% for the transport sector.
These findings come after mass redundancies across the sector following Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, and questions regarding workers right post-Brexit and pandemic.
James Powell, employment law solicitor at Richard Nelson LLP, said: “Workplaces with trade unions were found to have lower injury rates than those who manage their safety without a union in place. Unions can also play a significant role in reducing long working hours, bullying incidents, or poor quality working environments.
“This data suggests that the presence of trade unions in the UK hospitality industry is declining rapidly. This, in turn, gives unions less power and influence to make changes for their existing members.”
He added: “When unions have less representation, they are able to secure fewer negotiations since they do not have the same level of bargaining power.
“If this declining trend continues within the UK, we can expect to see unions holding less power to negotiate on behalf of hospitality employees in the coming years.”
