General Workers Union loses 761 members over one year

Malta’s largest union, the General Workers Union, lost 761 members over one year, the largest single reduction in terms of union membership between 2019 and 2020.

The report, published annually by the Registrar of Trade Unions, shows that union membership saw a net increase of just 61 new members between 2019 and 2020. 

A total of 1,089 new workers registered for union membership between 2019 and 2020, while 1,028 workers revoked their membership throughout the same period. 

The GWU was the biggest loser in terms of membership, with a total loss of 761 members. At 51,026 members, they remain Malta’s largest trade union.

MUT, Malta’s oldest trade union, saw 49 teachers joining the union, while 241 educators opted for membership with rival union UPE – Voice of the Workers. They boast of 9,952 and 2,107 members respectively.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses saw the largest increase with 296 new members and a membership total of 4,362.

The Malta Union of Bank Employees, albeit being the fourth-largest trade union at 2,843 members, saw 157 workers revoke their membership between 2019 and 2020.

Malta’s five largest unions by number of members:

GWU: 51,026
UĦM: 25,821
MUT: 9,952
MUMN: 4,362
Malta Union of Bank Employees: 2,843

Unions in crisis

While the number of employed persons increased by some 15,000 persons, the number of new union members increased by 1,089. This would amount to 7% of active labour market entrants opting for membership.

On a wider level, only 39.9% of the employed labour force is also a member within a union. 

Last year the GWU put forward a proposal for mandatory trade union membership, with those opting out of a trade union will pay a fraction of the membership fee into a common trade union fund. They justified this proposal using the free-rider argument, that when a union secures benefits for their members, non-members enjoy these benefits too. 

Employer associations had come out against the proposal, insisting that compulsory membership would diminish individual freedom. The MEA, Malta Chamber of Commerce, and the MHRA all argued that the decision to join a union should be left to the individual employee, with no intervention from the state.