Unions and Union Membership in New Zealand: Annual Review for 1993

Abstract

Unionism in New Zealand has undergone fundamental changes over the past decade. These changes are both quantitative and qualitative. Specific aspects of these changes include a decrease in the number of unions (from 259 in 1985 to 67 in 1993), a decrease in the number of union members (from 683,006 in 1985 to 409,112 in 1993) and a decrease in union density (from 66 percent to 43 percent). Concentration of membership in fewer larger unions and an increase in average union size (from 2,637 in 1985 to 6,106 in 1993) are other quantifiable dimensions of these changes.