Unionlearn published new research today, setting out the most up-to-date picture of the union advantage on training.

In short, the research shows that, once you strip out other factors, union members are a third more likely to receive regular training at work compared with non-unionised employees. It also shows that proactive union engagement in learning and skills in the workplace is directly associated with higher wages, better job security and improved organisational performance.

What makes this new study of particular interest is that it provides a picture of trends over time – 2001 to 2013 – rather than just a snapshot picture. Most interesting of all, it shows a significant strengthening of this positive union effect during, and following, the recent recession.

Drawing on data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), this chart highlights the trend:

The gap between the two lines indicates the union "mark-up" on training. Between 2008 and 2013, this mark-up increased from 13.4% to reach a peak of 16.0%.

This trend is explained by the proportion of union members reporting regular access to training increasing from 36.8% to 38.9% and non-members reporting a decline in access during this period (down from 23.4% to 22.9%).

To my mind, this trend suggests further evidence of the positive role that unions have played in negotiating with employers to minimise lay-offs and to safeguard skills during the recession and in its aftermath.

In order to explore the union effect in more detail, the researchers also undertook analysis of the latest Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS).

Unlike the LFS, the WERS dataset includes information about union learning reps and whether unions negotiate or consult with employers on training issues.

The analysis of WERS shows that three aspects of union presence – union recognition, union negotiation and consultation over training and the existence of union learning reps (ULRs) – are all associated with higher levels of training received by employees.

Crucially, this part of the research also shows that in those workplaces, employees are also more likely to earn higher wages and have better job security.

Other findings demonstrate the business case for the union learning agenda. For example, in workplaces where unions are making a difference on training, there is evidence of a positive impact on overall organisational performance.

So the research clearly demonstrates that the union learning agenda is a win-win situation for both employers and employees. But one could also argue that where unions take the lead on learning and skills, the likelihood is that productivity is also boosted.

While the research did not technically measure this specific impact, I think it is justifiable to argue that the evidence of higher pay, better job security and improved organisational performance suggest a productivity boost in those workplaces where a proactive union learning agenda was in place.

If only more of our workplaces fell into this category, maybe UK plc would not have come out of the recession with an abysmal performance on productivity and wage growth.