A Social Report for Ireland Volume II - the NESC Website

people of working age 147Figure 7.47 Respondents Perceiving a Lot of Tension Between Groups inSociety, EU Comparisons, 2007%40353830253132292015101620171850Poor and RIch PeopleManagement and WorkersDifferent Racial andEthnic GroupsDifferent ReligiousGroupsIrelandEU27Source European Foundation, 2009: 58 (EQLS,2007)Trade Union MembershipOne area where people of working age can exercise democracy is in relation totrade union membership. Trade union membership is an important element ofthe relationship between management and workers and has made a significantcontribution to industrial peace. Relationships between employers and workershave become all the more important in a recession. Figure 7.48 presents thepercentage of employees who are union members by age and nationality. Justunder one third (31.5 per cent) of employees were members of a trade union in2007 – this proportion had fallen from 37.4 per cent in 2003. Full-time employees(34.6 per cent) are more likely to be members of a trade union than part-timeemployees (19 per cent). Across age groups younger people are less likely tobe members of trade unions with about a quarter of under 35 year oldsbelonging to a union. Nearly half (47 per cent) of 45-54 year olds were membersof a trade union. Trade union membership is low among non-Irish nationals withonly 13 per cent claiming trade union membership. Membership levels also variedgreatly according to economic sector. Just over 79 per cent of employees in thepublic administration and defence sectors had trade union membership, comparedto only 8 per cent in the hotels and restaurants, and agriculture, forestry and fishingsectors.