Less than two thirds of union members are happy with the service they receive form their representatives, a new study has found.

The first national union membership study, conducted by the Forum of Trade Unions, found that around 70 per cent of workers felt unions played an important role and a third formed part of them.

Those employed in the education and health sectors were most likely to be unionised. As were older and more educated employees.

The reasons for not joining unions were varied, however, nearly two thirds said they felt they could take care of themselves and did not need representation at ball.

Around 10 per cent of those who had not joined a union felt that no union represented their specific professional concerns. Some seven per cent said their employer discouraged membership.

A fifth of all workers thought unions were too politicised and around half believed unions could not help with their problems.

Women were more likely to not be sure whether unions could protect their rights than men. Interestingly when it came to women, those with white collar jobs were more likely to be unionised while men joined unions more if they had blue collar jobs. Workers were more likely to be unionised if they had an indefinite public sector job.