ACTU Retention Project

Report of survey findings

United Workers Union - Resigned members

December 2023
Key highlights - Facts & Figures
Key highlights - Exit Behaviour

81% of respondents currently working have not joined another union since their exit.

21% who are working but have not joined up again say that they can’t afford the membership fees.

12% who are working but have not joined up again don’t know which union would cover them.

38% of ex-members who are working but have not joined up again say there is nothing that they
miss about their union membership.

33% who are working but have not joined up again say that they miss the protection of the union in
case something bad happens at work.

46% of previous members were very likely to recommend their previous union to family, friends or
colleagues. (Net Promoter Score -15)

3
Key highlights - Member Experience
On average, ex-members were not aware of 3.1 of the average 7.0 benefits they were asked for
feedback on. They had accessed or used 43% of the benefits they were aware of.

58% thought it was difficult to use UWU’s benefits or didn’t know if it was difficult, which may indicate
a lack of engagement with the benefits provided by UWU.
On average, ex-members had engaged in 5.7 different activities with UWU in the last few years
(noting that they may have done individual activities more than once). 71% had read emails, 48%
had spoken to a union organiser, and 46% had spoken to a union rep in the workplace.

While 69% of previous members thought that the amount of communication was about right, 22%
thought there was not enough, and 6% too much.

82% of previous members indicated that there was some level of union presence in their workplace.
59% were aware of UWU union meetings or information sharing in their workplace.

4
Key highlights - Drivers of Churn
The main reasons for UWU active resignations were unmet expectations and financial reasons:

• 40% said their union had not met their expectations.

• 37% said that they hadn’t received the support they would have liked.
• 37% said that they didn’t think UWU was effective in improving their workplace or industry.

• 31% could no longer afford the fees

• 30% said membership was not good value for money.
52% of those who actively resigned for financial reasons (could no longer afford it, it’s not good
value, I got benefits anyway) would have considered a more basic membership tier, that is, lower
fees for reduced benefits.

Emails and digital comms are major channels for engagement, along with workplace engagement
through organisers or delegates. Maintaining a variety of communication channels is important in order
to reach and engage all the different UWU member cohorts.

5
Who is leaving their union?
 38% of people leaving UWU actively resigned
Adding ex-members who
A third (33%) were Job Changers, who had left the union as they thought incorrectly thought they were
they were no longer eligible for a variety of reasons, such as moving sector, ineligible when temporarily
unemployed to Active
changed employment status, and other reasons for losing UWU coverage. Resigners suggests that 42%
of UWU’s membership churn
is potentially ‘saveable’.*
% reason for membership ending
In labour force Ex labour force

38% 33% 4% 4% 21%

ACTIVE JOB CHANGERS MEMBERSHIP DON’T LEGACY

RESIGNERS [NO LONGER ENDED KNOW RESIGNERS
[LEFT OUT OF ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER WITHOUT [RETIRED / NO
CHOICE] REASONS] LONGER IN
REALISING
LABOUR FORCE]
Source: CQ3. Work status (asked of all). RQ1. [Of those in labour force] Did you choose to leave [union], or were you no longer eligible to be a member?

7 Base: Rebased to all UWU respondents n=432. All codes except no longer in labour force (retired or currently not working and not seeking work) sourced from RQ1.
* 11% of Job Changers thought they were no longer eligible for UWU membership due to being temporarily unemployed (and no other reason). This equates to
3.5% of all UWU ex-members.
 % reason for membership ending – % in labour
by gender and host portfolio force
Women 41% 29% 4%5% 21% 79%

Men 35% 37% 4% 22% 78%

Early Childhood Education and
Care (ECEC)
55% 25% 3%3% 15% 85%

Public Sector 42% 29% 25% 75%

Casinos 41% 46% 12% 88%

Allied Industries 38% 37% 21% 79%

Some ex-members Food & Beverage 31% 31% 14% 24% 76%
are more likely to Property Services 28% 28% 3% 14% 28% 72%
have actively Aged Care 27% 27% 13% 13% 20% 80%
resigned than others
Active Resigners Job Changers
Didn't realise it had lapsed Not sure
Legacy Resigners
Source: CQ3. Work status (asked of all). RQ1. [Of those in labour force] Did you choose to leave [union], or were you no longer eligible to be a member?

Active Resigners left out of choice, Job Changers are still in labour force but no longer eligible, Legacy Resigners are no longer in the labour force (e.g. retired).
8
Base: Rebased to all UWU respondents n=432. All codes except no longer in labour force (retired or currently not working and not seeking work) sourced from
RQ1. Labels of 2% or less not shown. Gender n=180-248. Host portfolio n=29-126. [Host portfolio provided in sample, from CRM data] Note small sample sizes
n=29-30 for Aged Care, Food and Beverage, and Property Services and interpret with caution; Member Engagement and Logistics not shown as n=12-14.
 There is a clear shift in the reason for membership
ending when viewed by membership length
Unsurprisingly, those
% reason for membership ending – by membership duration
who had been with UWU
for longer periods were
26%
35% 37%
more likely to leave due to
44% 40%
45% no longer being in the
labour force (Legacy
19%
Resigners).
23% Retention strategies are
41% particularly important in
33% 35% 43% 3%
the first couple of years
54% UWU of membership,
3%
7% 11% 4% 37% when 44%-45% of those
7% 2% 20% leaving are actively
2%
9% 11%
6% resigning.
Less than 1 year 1-2 years 3-4 years 5-10 years 11-15 years More than 15 years Job Changers comprised
In labour force: 94% 91% 89% 80% 63% 46% the largest proportion of
ex-members with 3-10
Active Resigners Job Changers Didn't realise it had lapsed Not sure Legacy Resigners
years of membership.
Source: CQ3. Work status (asked of all). RQ1. [Of those in labour force] Did you choose to leave [union], or were you no longer eligible to be a member?

Active Resigners left out of choice, Job Changers are still in labour force but no longer eligible, Legacy Resigners are no longer in the labour force (e.g. retired).
9
Base: Rebased to all UWU respondents n=432. Membership duration n=30-108. All codes except no longer in labour force (retired or currently not working and
not seeking work) sourced from RQ1. Labels of 1% or less not shown.
 Why people who are still in the labour force leave their union
Almost half (49%) of respondents who were still in the labour force had made an active decision to
resign, providing significant opportunity for retention interventions.
% reason for leaving Active Resigners Job Changers Didn't realise it had lapsed Not sure

49% 41% 5% 5%

58% of Job Changers (no longer eligible) had moved to a different job or industry not covered by UWU.
% reason no longer eligible, among those in the labour force
Moved to job or industry not covered by union 58%

Left workforce, was not seeking paid employment at the time 13%

Temporarily unemployed, seeking paid employment 11% There is opportunity to

No longer eligible for another reason 10% educate UWU members
Got a management / executive job that I didn’t think was eligible 7%
about their continuing
eligibility when
Relocated (interstate or overseas) 4%
temporarily unemployed
Don’t know why I was no longer eligible 2%

Source: RQ1. Did you choose to leave [union], or were you no longer eligible to be a member? RQ2. Which of the following applied to you at the time that
your membership with [union] was discontinued?
10
Active Resigners left out of choice, Job Changers are still in labour force but no longer eligible.

Base: RQ1 UWU respondents in labour force n=340. RQ2 No longer eligible for membership n=141.
What are the reasons for active
resignations?
 What drives active resignations?
The top three reasons for UWU active resignations centred around unmet expectations (40%), and
lack of effectiveness (37%) or support (37%).
These were followed by monetary concerns relating to affordability (31%) and value for money (30%).

Average of 2.8 reasons given

% reason actively resigned
Union did not meet my Unclear on what the union could
40% 16%
expectations do for me
Not effective in improving my Could get many of the benefits
37% 7%
workplace / industry without being a member Awareness
Didn’t receive the support I Didn’t know enough about what of union offer
37% 6% contributes
would have liked the union does
to increased
Could no longer afford Concerned my employer viewed
31% 5% value
membership dues membership negatively
Didn’t agree with the general union
Not good value for money 30% 4%
movement
Disagreed with a position or Not many of my co-workers were
10% 3%
action taken by union members

Source: RQ3. Why did you discontinue your [union] membership?

12 Active Resigners left out of choice.

Base: Left by choice n=166. Note that respondents could select more than one response.
 Wages, fees and COL are often ‘top of mind’ for UWU
Active Resigners – all relating to perceived value
Active Resigners were asked to say in their own words what could have prevented them leaving.
7% indicated that nothing would have prevented them leaving, and 15% said they didn’t know.

% ex-members mentioning topic

Wage outcomes 17% The perceived value
of membership is
Membership fees 16% increased through
positive experiences
of personalised
Cost of living impact 14%
support and
collective bargaining
Availability of support 13% wage outcomes

Communication and transparency 12% Ensure transparency in the

UWU’s values and activism agenda through
Understanding and knowledge 10% a clear communication system that articulates the
union's stance on social and political issues and
Experiences with representative raises awareness on the rationale behind each
6%
campaign / organised activity
Source: RQ4. What is one thing that could have been different, in order for you to have kept up your membership? [Combined results from RQ4 standard
open-ended question, and RQ4EVE interactive AI question, with two additional prompts for extra details]
13
Active Resigners left out of choice. Respondents could mention more than one topic.

Base: Left by choice n=166 [RQ4 n=86 ; RQ4EVE n=80]

Active Resigner feedback on UWU wage negotiations
and outcomes Example feedback
Theme: Wage negotiations and A pay rise that the union has promised forever.
outcomes ___
Mentions of wage negotiations: Better wages for early childhood and needs to happen now not months or years
• not resulting in high enough increases done the track. ... By getting the higher wages and better outcomes with less
• not covering all / enough workers documentation and burn out. ... If staff got all this more staff would stay.
• not communicated in satisfactory manner ___
Better communication during EBA negotiations ... No information at all was given,
the only thing I ever got was vote NO, never told what the union was after i.e. %
What could have made a difference? wage increase etc. The EBA is only the thing the union really does for anyone at the
workplace. It is an important factor if I am supposed to pay $2100 every 3 years for
Management of member expectations and them to negotiate it.
demonstration of value:
___
Continue to seek opportunities to engage
with as many members as possible before You should have ... made the pay rise for every education assistant ... Because they,
like myself, were some of the assistants that didn't get the pay rise like [others] did.
and during negotiations
___
Proactive provision of information about
other member benefits and services that I did not support or see the reason for the second round of industrial action ... I was
reinforce UWU membership value overall happy with the initial offer and felt we were asking for items that really did not benefit
all.

Source: RQ4. What is one thing that could have been different, in order for you to have kept up your membership? [Combined results from RQ4 standard open-
ended question, and RQ4EVE interactive AI question, with two additional prompts for extra details]
14
Base: Left by choice n=166 [RQ4 n=86 ; RQ4EVE n=80]
 Active Resigner feedback on affordability: fees and COL
Example feedback
Theme: Affordability If I could afford, I would still be a union member but being a casual
worker with less income it's not possible as I need each penny.
• Perceived affordability of fees: ___
• affected by recent cost of living increases If I could have stayed on the lower rate I would have stayed. Can not
• re-evaluation of ‘non-essential’ expenses like afford the higher rate.
union membership ___
More affordable ... I am a single parent working part time I could not
justify the amount.
___
What could have made a difference? Pro rata deduction of fees when cutting back on work hours ... Less pays
means having to reduce spending.
Enhanced communication / interventions to: ___
Demonstrate the value of membership Nothing, just couldn't afford to pay ... Union membership luxury not
Raise awareness of options to pause or necessity ... Unnecessary like drinking alcohol, smoking or gambling.
waive fees or flexible payment options ___
Lower fees, money is currently tough ... I wish I could keep it but couldn't
afford it anymore

Source: RQ4. What is one thing that could have been different, in order for you to have kept up your membership? [Combined results from RQ4 standard open-
ended question, and RQ4EVE interactive AI question, with two additional prompts for extra details]
15
Base: Left by choice n=166 [RQ4 n=86 ; RQ4EVE n=80]
 Active Resigner feedback on member experiences:
support and communication
Example feedback
Theme: Support and communication
More communication and an intro pack showing what benefits there are ... What
• Poor member experiences leading to exit included: membership is and what union offers ... Anything.
• Difficulties in communication ___

• Inadequate or inconsistent support If they supported me when needed and have no affiliation to any political parties.
___
• Feeling unheard
The rep actually ... The rep to actually do their job.
___
What could have made a difference? The local union rep helping everyone not just their friends
___
Timely and effective communication and support:
The union could have supported me better. ... I was left a casual for many years even
Better systems to manage, record, track and though I was eligible for PPT. The union never helped me get this. I got it by myself.
respond to member enquiries / requests
___
Increased visibility / availability of delegates /
Union rep promised to get back to me next day, never heard from them ever.
reps
___
Effective communications channels
Union representatives actually being present ... If they are not present or engaged then
Personalised support members can't receive the help their fees are paying for ... My rep failed to return phone
An onboarding information kit, for all joiners calls or make contact with me while experiencing workplace bullying and harassment.

Source: RQ4. What is one thing that could have been different, in order for you to have kept up your membership? [Combined results from RQ4 standard open-
ended question, and RQ4EVE interactive AI question, with two additional prompts for extra details]
16
Base: Left by choice n=166 [RQ4 n=86 ; RQ4EVE n=80]
Engagement, Benefits &
Communication
 Engagement activities
Email is UWU’s primary mechanism for engaging members (71% of ex-members had read emails)
Almost half (49%) of ex-members had contacted UWU by phone
% engaged in activity
(average of Read emails from UWU 71%
5.4 activities Contacted UWU by phone 49%
undertaken) Spoke to a union organiser 48%
Spoke to a union representative in your workplace 46%
Saw union posters in my workplace 45%
Emailed UWU 41%
Attended a union meeting or other event in person 34%
Signed a petition or got involved with a campaign run by UWU 34%
Visited UWU's public website 26%
Attended a union meeting or other event online 23%
Participated in workplace bargaining 21%
Emailed a union representative in your workplace 20%
Interacted with UWU's social media 18%
Participated in an election for a union delegate / representative 17%
Logged into the UWU member portal 17%
Participated in industrial action 15%
Participated in a rally 13%
None of the above 5%

Source: EQ5. Which of the following do you recall doing in the last couple of years?
18
Base: All UWU respondents n=432. Note that respondents could select more than one response. Average number of activities includes zeros for ex-members
who undertook none.
 Younger members are more likely than older ones to
visit UWU’s website or log into the member portal
73% Attended a union meeting or other 15%
64% 26%
Read emails from union 68% event online 21%
73% 26%
41% 12%
47% Emailed a union rep in your 19%
Emailed union 46% 30-39 year olds workplace (a co-worker) 20%
36% 24%
35%
are less engaged 15%
43% overall, but Participated in workplace bargaining 11%
Contacted union by phone 54% 26%
54% 23%
almost two thirds 18%
45% Participated in an election for a
Saw union posters in your workplace 39% (64%) read UWU 10%
17%
41% union delegate/ rep
48% emails, and they 19%
35% 14%
27% are as likely as 10%
Visited union’s public website 29%
Participated in industrial action 13%
21% other age groups 17%
21% to email UWU 11%
17% Participated in a rally 10%
Logged into union member portal 16% 16%
15% 14%
39% 20%
Spoke to a union rep in your workplace 33% Interacted with union's social media 21% Older
46% 29%
(a co-worker representing the union) 52% 12% members
36% 40-49s are the Became actively involved with union 8%
tend to
Spoke to a union organiser (rep of the 33% 6%
union who was not a co-worker) 52% most likely age in another way 4%
have more
55% 4%
35%
group to interact 3% varied
Signed a petition or got involved with a 23% 11%
37% with UWU social None of the above 6% interactions,
campaign run by union 36% 4%
media overall
27%
Attended a union meeting or other event 21% Ave. number Under 30 30-39 40-49 50+
in person 37% 5.0 4.6 5.7 5.7
39% engaged with:

Source: EQ5. Which of the following do you recall doing in the last couple of years?
19
Base: All respondents n=432. Age groups n=66-214
Note that respondents could select more than one response.
 Awareness and use of individual UWU benefits
It was widely recognised that fees were tax deductible (91%) and that UWU provided assistance with
workplace issues (89%)

% of respondents accessing / aware / not aware of benefit type

Union fees being 100% tax deductible
79% 12% 9%
Assistance with a workplace issue
36% 53% 11%
Access to training like work health & safety training
13% 36% 52%
Free initial legal consultation and discounted legal advice for non-work legal matters
8% 49% 43%
Access to discounted goods and services
8% 37% 55%
Access to online professional development (Ambulance, Early Educators & Enrolled Nurses, WA)
7% 35% 58%

LOTE ex-members who Ambulance cover (NSW only)

6% 28% 66%
were eligible for Visa
Visa and migration advice (NSW or ACT Property services only)
and migration advice 3% 24% 73%
were more likely to be Free will kit
3% 23% 74%
aware of it than eligible
English-only speakers Funeral benefit cover (Qld only)
3% 36% 61%
(42% cf. 19%) Journey insurance (NSW only)
1% 36% 63%

Accessed or used Was aware of, but did not use Was not aware of benefit
Source: EQ3. While you were a member of [union], which of the following benefits were you aware of, and which did you access or use?

20 Base: All UWU respondents eligible for the benefit n=60-432. LOTE/English only eligible for Visa and migration advice n=31-62.
Note that due to a survey program error, respondents were not asked whether they were aware of, or had accessed or used, ‘Advice and information on your
wages, conditions and other workplace entitlements’
 Perceived value of benefits
61% of respondents rated union fees being 100% tax deductible as ‘very valuable’ (mean score 4.5).
% perceived value of potential benefits Mean *

Union fees being 100% tax deductible 61% 25% 6% 5% 4.5

Assistance with workplace issues 50% 26% 9% 3% 6% 6% 4.3

Advice and info on wages, conditions, other workplace entitlements 50% 29% 10% 3% 5% 4.2

Ambulance cover 35% 23% 9% 6% 12% 15% 3.7

Free or discounted legal advice for non-work legal matters 30% 29% 15% 6% 5% 15% 3.8

Access to discounted health, fitness and wellbeing services 30% 29% 20% 7% 4% 10% 3.9

Access to training like work health & safety, first aid 29% 37% 12% 5% 5% 12% 3.9

Access to discounted income protection insurance 28% 29% 17% 8% 5% 12% 3.8

Access to discounted goods and services 28% 29% 15% 7% 5% 15% 3.8

Access to online professional development (incl. CPD) 26% 30% 18% 9% 5% 11% 3.7

Job search and career services 25% 28% 17% 12% 6% 12% 3.6
Opportunity to
demonstrate Free will kit 20% 27% 16% 7% 7% 23% 3.6

value of UWU Journey insurance 17% 28% 16% 8% 8% 22% 3.5

membership Visa and migration advice 9% 12% 9% 19% 34% 17% 2.3

Very valuable Valuable Somewhat valuable Not very valuable Not at all valuable Unsure

Source: UWUQ1 If they had been available (or if you had been aware of them), how valuable would each of the following benefits have been to you, when you were
a UWU member? UWUQ1a. How valuable did you consider each of the following benefits to be, when you were a UWU member? [Results shown are UWUQ1 &
21 UWUQ1a combined]
Base: All UWU respondents n=432. Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Value labels of 2% or less are not displayed.
* The mean score is based on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is ‘not at all valuable’ and 5 is ‘very valuable’. A higher mean signifies higher perceived value for that benefit.
 Access difficulties seem often linked to a lack of
communication from union
Ex-members who indicated that they had found it difficult to access membership benefits
were asked to explain in their own words what made the benefits difficult to use or access. Ex-member feedback
confirms that raising
% ex-members mentioning topic awareness of
membership benefits
Unaware of benefits / inadequately publicised 59%
through comms, and
Inadequate support provided by union 14% improving comms
generally, may improve
No / poor communication from union 14% member experiences
and lead to increased
Union hard to reach / slow to respond 12% retention

Lack of information on how to access / use benefits 4% Example feedback

Unaware of them. No contact for new members.
Website issues 2% __

Didn’t know they existed.

Complicated process to use / access benefits 2% __

No one told us about benefits and no one explained how to use the website.
Limited use for / availability of benefits 2% __

No / delayed response to emails / online forms 2% Didn't get told what services they provided.

Source: EQ4a. Please tell us what made it difficult to use or access the benefits. [Coded responses]

22 Respondents could mention more than one topic.

Base: UWU respondents who found it difficult to use or access membership benefits and explained what made it difficult n=51
*Small sample, interpret with caution
 UWU communications
Three in ten (31%) of previous members did not agree that the amount of communications received
from UWU was about right. This increased to 45% among Active Resigners.

% quantity of communications
All ex-members 22% 69% 6% 4%

Active Resigners 31% 55% 7% 7%

Not enough About right Too much Don’t know

Members aged 30-39 % communications ‘about right’ % communications ‘about right’

and LOTE speakers by age group by language spoken at home
were less likely to think
the amount of comms
from UWU was ‘about
right’. Getting the volume 67% 56% 62% 76% 63% 70%
of comms right is likely to
Under 30 30-39 40-49 50+ Speak a Speak only
increase retention language other English at
among these cohorts than English at home
home
Source: EQ6. Thinking about the communications that you received from UWU while still a member (all emails, text messages, letters etc), would you describe
those overall as…? DQ2/sample. Age. DQ4. LOTE status.
23
Active Resigners left out of choice, Job Changers are still in labour force but no longer eligible

Base: All UWU respondents n=432. Reason for leaving category n=141-166. Language spoken n=112-320.
 When ex-members agree that the amount of comms from UWU
was about right, they have a recommendation score more than
twice as high as those who say there weren’t enough
communications
While the direction of the
Recommendation mean score [0-10] by perceptions of communications
relationship can’t be certain, it
is clear that people with
positive views of UWU’s
communications are more
3.4 7.2 3.3 4.0 likely to recommend.
Perceptions of comms can
also be impacted by how
relevant they are to members.
Targeted activities to different
NOT ABOUT TOO MUCH DON’T KNOW
cohorts within the union’s
ENOUGH RIGHT / DIDN’T READ membership can have a
positive member experience
impact.

Source: EQ6. Thinking about the communications that you received from [union] while still a member (all emails, text messages, letters etc), would you
24 describe those overall as…? Source: EQ8. How likely are you to recommend [union] to family / friends / colleagues? Scale of 0 (not at all likely) to 10
(extremely likely).

Base: All UWU respondents n=432. Volume of communications n=17-296.

 Net Promoter Score (NPS) for UWU: -15
A net promoter score (NPS) measures the engagement of members to an organisation.

People are asked how likely they are to recommend an organisation to their friends / family / colleagues, using a scale from 0 to 10
(where 0 is Not at all likely, and 10 is Extremely likely). Responses are then split into the three groups below, based on their response.

Promoter 32% Passive 21% Detractor 47%

(Score 9-10) (Score 7-8) (Score 0-6)
Loyal enthusiast who will refer Satisfied but unenthusiastic new Unhappy new members who can
others to their referred union members that are open to other damage the brand and impede
options growth through negative word of
mouth

The % of detractors is subtracted from the % of promoters to create the NPS.

32% 47% (-15)

Promoters Detractors
NPS

Reference: Markey, R and Reichheld, F. (2011) Introducing: The Net Promoter System, Bain and Company. Available at:
https://www.bain.com/insights/introducing-the-net-promoter-system-loyalty-insights/​
25
Source: EQ8. How likely are you to recommend [union] to family / friends / colleagues? Scale of 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely).
Base: All UWU respondents n=432
 Net Promoter Scores for UWU cohorts
Women Men Under 30 30-39 40-49 50+
UWU overall
-14 -16 -11 -40 -32 -2
-15 Public Allied
Sector Industries Casinos
Food & Property
ECEC Aged Care Beverage Services

-13 -20 -34 -18 -27 +3 -10

Secure Insecure Membership length
work work No job 1 job 2+ jobs <1 yr 1-2 yrs 3-4 yrs 5-10 yrs >10 yrs

-29 -24 +18 -23 -51 -24 -12 -13 -24 +2

Note that NPS scores should be interpreted with caution. Due to the way it is calculated, an NPS score is a far less reliable measure than a percentage or mean score – if the survey were to be repeated immediately among the same population, the resulting NPS
scores would be more likely to vary, and to vary more widely, than results reported as percentages or means. This unreliability is even more exaggerated when based on small samples such as those for the above UWU ex-member cohorts.

Reference: Markey, R and Reichheld, F. (2011) Introducing: The Net Promoter System, Bain and Company. Available at:
https://www.bain.com/insights/introducing-the-net-promoter-system-loyalty-insights/​
26
Source: EQ8. How likely are you to recommend [union] to family / friends / colleagues? Scale of 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely).
Base: All UWU respondents n=432. Gender n=180-248. Age groups n=66-214. LOTE/not LOTE n=112-320. Host portfolio n=29-126. Work security n=102-217.
Number of jobs n=49-270. Membership tenure n=53-108.
What can UWU do?
 What those not re-joining miss about membership
38% of those who are currently working but have not re-joined say there is nothing that they miss
about their UWU membership.
A third (33%) say that they miss the protection of the union in case something bad happens at work.
Protection in case something happens at work 33% Main reasons to
Information about my rights at work or about a workplace issue 25% join
Supporting other workers doing it tough 14%
Having assistance / support on my salary negotiations 14%
Supporting a movement that makes positive changes to society 12%
Feeling like I have a voice at work 11%
Belonging to an organisation that fits my values 10%
Access to benefits 8%
Participating in union actions in my workplace or industry 8%
Being part of a community 5%
Access to online professional development (incl. CPD) 3%
Meeting new people 2%
Participating in union activities that I enjoy 2%
Other 1%
None of the above 38%

Source: UQ3. What, if anything, do you miss most about your union membership?
28
Base: Previous UWU members currently working and have not rejoined n=258.
Note that respondents could select up to three responses.
 Options to keep membership
52% of those who actively resigned for financial reasons (could no longer afford it, it’s not good value, I
got benefits anyway) would have considered keeping their UWU membership with a more basic tier.

% interest in options

More basic membership tier (lower fees for reduced benefits) 19% 33% 40% 8% Yes

ACTIVELY RESIGNED Maybe

Temporary discount on fees 14% 24% 56% 7%
No longer afford, not
No
good value, got 3 month hold on fees with full access to benefits, plan to repay
benefits anyway 9% 18% 65% 8%
fees owed over time
(financial reasons) Don't
3 month hold on membership, temporary suspension of both know
11% 15% 66% 8%
fees and benefits

Source: RQ5. Would you have considered keeping your membership if any of the following had been available to you?
[RQ6. Would you have considered keeping your membership if any of the following had been available to you for the period until you found a new job?]
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Active Resigners left out of choice. Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Base: RQ5. Left by choice for financial reasons n=74. [RQ6. No longer eligible for membership as left paid work and looked for a new job not shown due to small
sample n=10].
 ACTU Recommendations
Look for opportunities to identify key growth / retention segments, e.g. Union Believers, within the
1 union’s membership base (or identify other key cohorts) so that communications and retention
strategies can be tailored to groups with specific priorities and needs
Consider messages, including via organisers, to reinforce the key drivers of membership and its
2 value, particularly the protection that union membership offers if something bad happens at work,
and to emphasise union achievements for members

Given that most members leaving by choice do it early in their membership tenure, retention
3 strategies should be developed for members from the very start of the member lifecycle

Consider reviewing both on-site and digital communications to verify that all aspects of the union
4 offer are clear, to manage member expectations and optimise their union experience and
engagement across the whole member lifecycle
More widely publicise the option for provisionally ineligible members (e.g., seasonal workers or
5 those temporarily unemployed and seeking paid work) to temporarily suspend their membership
package for reactivation at a later date

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Thank you