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Established: 1 July 1993

Main reason: To create a single large union for public‑service workers so they would have stronger bargaining power, a unified national voice and more effective defence of public services.

Context: Early 1990s fragmentation among public‑sector unions and pressure on public services made consolidation strategically necessary.

Services for members

Workplace representation: Local reps, casework, representation at disciplinary/grievance hearings and collective bargaining support.

Legal help: Employment law advice and representation, personal injury and related legal services (subject to member eligibility).

Welfare support: “There for You” hardship and wellbeing support for members and dependants.

Training and development: Courses and accreditation for reps and members, workplace skills and equality training.

Campaigning and policy: National and local campaigns on pay, conditions and defending public services.

Member benefits: Discounts, insurance and financial products negotiated for members.

Rule‑book benefits: Internal benefits such as accident and death payments where qualifying conditions are met.

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- Established: 1990

- Main reason: To unite transport workers across rail and maritime sectors into a single specialist union able to defend pay, safety and conditions and to negotiate with many employers across the transport industry

Workplace representation: Casework, local reps, representation at disciplinary and grievance hearings and collective bargaining support.

Legal cover: Free legal services for workplace and many non-work matters (subject to rule eligibility) including personal injury, employment tribunals and criminal-law advice for members and qualifying family.

Financial & welfare benefits: Accident, death and orphan grants, retirement and permanent-downgrading payments, credit-union access and partner commercial services; member communications through RMT News and specialist briefings

Scale and recent level: RMT membership rose strongly in the 2000s and 2010s under active organising; reported figures moved from roughly 57,000 in the early 2000s to about 80,000+ by the late 2010s and remained around c.80,000 in the early 2020s.

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- Established: 1 September 2017 by the amalgamation of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL)

Main reason: To create a single, stronger education union able to represent teachers, lecturers and support staff across schools and colleges with greater national bargaining power, combined resources for campaigning and a unified professional voice for education policy and member protection.

Core services for members

Workplace representation: local reps, branch support and casework for disciplinaries, grievances and redeployment.

Advice and legal support: telephone/online AdviceLine, caseworker representation and legal cover for employment and some non‑work matters

Professional support and training: CPD, courses for reps and members, early‑career support and materials for classroom practice.

Welfare and benefits: member discounts, insurance/financial products and welfare schemes; special membership rates for trainees and early career teachers.

Campaigning and policy work: national campaigns on pay, workload, school funding, health & safety and industrial action where necessary

Recent scale: NEU reports around half a million members; official published totals were close to 445,601 in 2022 and about 497,400 in 2022/23 in published datasets, showing the NEU as the largest education union in the UK and Europe.

Trend summary (2004–2024 perspective): combined teacher/education union membership was relatively stable with growth into the late 2010s

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Purpose: To advance medical science, share professional knowledge and represent doctors’ interests before government and employers; over time it evolved to provide collective bargaining and professional representation for doctors across the NHS and UK healthcare settings

Core services for members

Collective and individual representation: National and local negotiation/collective bargaining recognition; workplace and contract advice; local officers and reps to support disputes and pay negotiations.

Legal, employment and professional support: Employment law advice, casework, contract checking and representation in tribunals (subject to rule eligibility).

Welfare, wellbeing and career support: Counselling, pension and occupational advice, professional development resources and access to BMA publications and library services.

Health & safety and policy work: Safety guidance, ethical advice, and national campaigning on workforce, pay and service issues

Scale and trend: BMA membership rose markedly since 1999; official/industry sources report membership increasing from ~110,000 in 1999/00 to around 170,000–190,000 in the early 2020s, with record highs reported in 2023 driven by junior doctor recruitment during industrial disputes.

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Event: Resident doctors (formerly junior doctors) took coordinated strike action from 07:00 on 25 July 2025 to 07:00 on 30 July 2025; the action was organised under BMA mandates and widely reported across trusts, with hospitals prioritising urgent care and rescheduling non‑urgent activity.

Political and economic relevance for exams: Causes include pay erosion in real terms, workforce shortages, and insufficient substantive posts for early‑career doctors; the dispute produced high public and political salience, higher BMA membership among junior grades, and visible service disruption used in exam contexts to discuss labour supply, bargaining power, and public‑sector trade‑off decisions.

How to apply in exam answers: Link the strike to supply shortages and bargaining models: show how pay/working‑conditions change doctors’ reservation wages and labour supply; use the strike as evidence of increased union bargaining power and as an illustration of short‑run service disruption vs long‑run workforce incentives.

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Wages can differ based on different types of discrimination. Below are a few examples.

Unconcious bias : Is often an underlying factor

Gender : Gender pay gap persists across industries, with women often earning less than men for the same roles. Women with children may face wage reductions due to assumptions about availability or commitment. CASE STUDY : A 2012 Yale study found that science faculty rated male applicants as more competent and hireable than identical female applicants, offering them higher salaries and more mentoring opportunities.

Ethnic minorities and Race : may be concentrated in precarious or low-wage jobs due to systemic barriers. Racial wage gaps exist even after controlling for education and experience.

Age : Older workers may face ageism, being passed over for promotions or high-paying roles. Younger workers can be underpaid due to assumptions about inexperience, even when qualified.

Sexual Orientation : LGBTQ+ individuals may face wage penalties due to workplace exclusion or bias.Transgender workers often experience the steepest wage disparities, especially post-transition.

Socioeconomic Status: Lower SES individuals may lack access to quality education, networking, or internships that lead to high-paying jobs. Accent, dress, or perceived class can influence hiring decisions and wage offers.

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As of mid 2025, unemployment has spiked up to 4.8%, a very worrying increase. (of those, youth aged 16 to 17 is over 33% unemployed!)

More and more young people who are not in education or training but want to work cannot do so largely due to disability and long-term illnesses, increasing work discrimination is clearly noted here.

At the same time, a record amount of older people are coming back to work, as economic uncertainty is prominent.

There has been a monetary policy lag and businesses have decreased investment and innovation due to tighter budges.

🧠 Policy Watch

A major concern is the rise in NEET youth (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), now nearing 1 million. A think tank warns that scrapping lower minimum wage rates for under-21s could price young people out of the labour market

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A greener more sustainable future using employment...

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A greener more sustainable future using employment...

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In 2025 the government created a rather ambitious plan to help generate 400,000 jobs by 2030 in renewable energy sector as part of its NGES as demand keeps increasing and sustainability is necessary.

Goal: Double employment in clean industries to 860,000 by 2030.

Target sectors: Solar, wind, nuclear, tidal, and carbon capture.

Priority roles: Plumbers, electricians, welders, carpenters—31 skilled trades identified as “particularly in demand”

Training focus: Tailored schemes for fossil fuel workers, school leavers, veterans, and the unemployed

Training focus: Tailored schemes for fossil fuel workers, school leavers, veterans, and the unemployed

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband described the plan as essential for achieving the UK’s energy ambitions, saying:

“Four hundred thousand jobs is not a target, it’s what we need”