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Do unions protect older employees' pay?

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  • Michael White

Abstract

There was a substantial fall in older British employees' wages and earnings, relative to younger employees, over the 1990s and 2000s. This shift in the lifetime fortunes of employees was possibly stimulated by pressures of increased competition, and intensified technological and organisational change, along with the high cost to employers of elder employment. A panel analysis for the period 1990–2006 shows that older (age 45‐plus) employees in non‐union jobs fared much worse, in terms of relative pay, than did those in unionised jobs. Unions were partially successful in maintaining the relative pay of older employees, compared with younger employees, and this applied to both older female and older male employees.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael White, 2018. "Do unions protect older employees' pay?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5-6), pages 492-511, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indrel:v:49:y:2018:i:5-6:p:492-511
    DOI: 10.1111/irj.12234
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    References listed on IDEAS

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