Unions fall back
Trade union membership fell by 2.3% in the year to April 2005 - the largest drop since 1996, according to the annual report of the Certification Officer (CO). The figure can partly be explained by substantial falls in membership at Amicus (126,000) and the GMB (104,000). Additionally, 13 unions were removed from the CO's list - five because they had ceased to exist, and eight following a transfer of engagements or amalgamation. The report observes that "some notable names no longer appear as a separate entity on the list of trade unions, including the GPMU, Unifi and the ISTC, not forgetting the Church and Oswaldtwistle Power-Loom Overlookers Society".