Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that recognise unions are “significantly less likely” to have seen their staff affected by the recession.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research has published the results of a new survey into the relationships between workers and their employers.
It found businesses that did not work alongside unions had often used the economic downturn as an excuse to freeze or cut pay – with one in five SMEs not adversely affected still choosing to cut back in this area.
The TUC union’s general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This survey reveals the degree to which opportunistic employers used the recession as an excuse to hold back pay.
“This kind of behaviour deepened the recession and pushed working people into poverty unnecessarily,” he added.
It was also revealed that news of redundancies in the public sector contributed to a general decrease in levels of trust between workers and management, as well as lower perceptions of job security.
Posted by the Secret Businessman