The aggregite membership of trade unions in the United Kingdom at the end of 1965 was about 10,180,000. This was about 101,000 more than at the end of 1954, and about 245,000 more than at the end of 1963. The total of 580 trade unions at the end of 1965, which included 15 unions with headquarters in Northern Ireland, showed a reduction of 16 compared with 1964. This reduction was due to unions being merged in other unions or otherwise ceasing to function. The number of males at the end of 1965 was 7,972,009, an increxise of 36,000 or 0.5 per cent, compared with the previous year; and the number of females was 2,208,000, an increase of 65,000 or 3.0 per cent. The total membership at the end of 1965 included 51,000 members in branches in the Irish Republic and 91,000 in other branches outside the United Kingdom. Excluding the members of these overseas branches, the total membership in the United Kingdom and with HM Forces was thus apout 10,038,000. Of this total, the membership in Northern Ireland accounted for 230,000. At the end of 1965 there were 304 unions with fewer than 1,000 members each, including 247 with under 500. members each. These 304 smaller unions together accounted for under one per cent. of the total membership of all unions. In contrast, the 18 largest unions, each with 100,000 or more members, together accounted for rather more than two-thirds of the total membership of all unions. The main changes were increases in general labour organisations (428,200), metal manufacture, engineering etc. (+74,200), educational services (+25,800), and local government service (+16,400). These increases werepartly offset by decresses in coal mining (-35,500) and railways (-15,200). The number of trade unions and their aggregate membership at the end of each of the past eleven years were:
R Ss EM SHIP PERCENTAGE