Labour at rest

Labour union membership has declined substantially over the past decade around the world. Even in European countries which traditionally had strong unions, the membership is decreasing. However, the Scandinavian countries have seen a steady growth of union membership. As a result, there have been fewer strikes in the past decade. Fewer strikes have led to a decrease in the number of working days lost due to strikes. The only exceptions were in France, where a transportation strike in 1995 was the most serious in a decade and the strike by nurses in Finland which accounted for almost all the working days lost in that country in 1995.