A Nordic Saga?: The Ghent System and Trade Unions

Abstract

The special unemployment insurance scheme, the Ghent system, based on voluntary membership of unemployment funds, has for many years been the main reason for high trade union membership rates in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. During the past 15 years membership rates in many unions have been declining in these Ghent-countries. Reasons for this decline may be similar to what has happened in other countries - occupational change and neo-liberal ideology - but in the Ghent-countries changes in the unemployment insurance system may also have affected trade union membership losses. If this is the case, trade union membership rates in the Ghent-countries may decline from 80 per cent of the labour force to 50-60 per cent.