Did trade unions protect employees' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic? A mixed effects model using UK data from Understanding Society.

Introduction: Few studies have addressed the relationship between trade unions and workers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We analysed panel data from Understanding Society collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (49 915 observations; 5988 respondents) to assess the relationship between union presence within the workplace and union membership and a binary measure of common mental disorders (CMD), the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire (>4, probable psychological distress). A mixed-effect log-linear model assessed effect heterogeneity across time and industries, with average marginal effects (AME) indicating effect differences between groups.

Results: Of our sample, 49.1% worked in a unionised workplace, with 53.8% of them being union members. Approximately 25% of the entire workforce was trade union members. Psychological distress prevalence was higher during the pandemic (25.4%) compared with prepandemic (18.4%). Union presence ((AME_pre-pandemic: 1.0, 95% CI-0.66 to 2.70) (AME_-pandemic: -0.2, 95% CI-1.91 to 1.58)) and union membership ((AME_pre-pandemic: 1.6, 95% CI -0.69 to 3.93) (AME_pandemic: -0.1, 95% CI -2.29 to 2.00)) were both associated with modest protection against CMD risk. Although, industry heterogeneity exists.

Conclusions: Trade union presence may have a protective effect on workers' mental health in periods of crisis, such as during a pandemic. Within unionised workplaces, trade union membership further mitigated the negative effects of the pandemic on mental health. Collective negotiation may be protective in periods of uncertainty, benefiting all workers.