What happened in the 1980's with trade unions? ?

Question

What happened in the 1980's with trade unions? ?

Answer 1

Unfortunately your question is vague, as you do not say in what country. The answer would vary depending on which country you are talking about.

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In Australia -- Most Trade Unions started to amalgamate to maintain numbers (most occupation based unions were declining in numbers as many trades were disappearing and also the "memberships" of individuals was declining). The unions started to become "Industry based".

Some of the more controversial unions also were brought under pressure by the government and the employers and some, like the "Building Labourers Federation" (BLF) ceased to exist.

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In Britain -- Again, many unions started to amalgamate for similar reasons. Unfortunately, I do not know much about Britain.

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In the US --  As has happened over many years, the unions were (and still are) mostly controlled by criminals, especially the Mafia. What few are not controlled by the criminals are controlled by the employers (the companies) and not by the members.

What few unions that attempted to strive for better conditions for the employees were persecuted & prosecuted by the government at both State and Federal levels.

Throughout US history during the 20th Century the unions that attempted to obtain good conditions for the working man were prosecuted and persecuted and many of the officials were beaten-up or killed by factory owners, by local police or even the FBI.