Trade Unions and Wellbeing: A longitudinal analysis of workers in the United Kingdom

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Trade Unions are a significant partner in the promotion of health at work. Higher incomes, safe workplaces, job security access, all contribute to good mental and physical functioning. In addition, shorter working hours are particularly important for the management of stress. Trade Unions are essential partners in the promotion of these worker interests. Despite this, the work of Trade Unions is largely invisible in the sociological and psychological literature on wellbeing. Using longitudinal multilevel regression models, this project investigates the association between membership of a Trade Union and stress symptoms in the UK and investigates to what extent this association changes over time. The 1958 National Child Development Study and 1970 British Cohort Study, make it possible to track the health trajectories of two generations of workers in the last 50 years. A multilevel analysis is employed to investigate what effect changes in Union density have had on the association between membership of a Trade Union and stress symptoms. It is theorised that the decline in Trade Union power that has taken place since the 1970's has altered the role of Trade Unions as public health institutions at the individual level. This project contributes to the growing body of research investigating the ways in which labour organisation contributes to improving public health.