The Times 100 Business Case Studies UNISON Use of PEST analysis at UNISON

Introduction UNISON UK’s biggest public sector trade union Members in e.g. NHS, transport, education, local government Represents employees in the workplace Campaigns for fair and equal treatment of members Supports the rights of migrant workers

PEST analysis External factors outside the control of business May stem from different sources Political – e.g. government legislation Economic – e.g. the economy Social – e.g. aging workforce Technological – e.g. the internet UNISON needs to consider how external factors may affect its campaigns

Political factors affecting migrant workers UK and EU immigration legislation Workers from EU member countries have right to live and work in the UK Migrant populations often centred in few key areas Government needs to invest in infrastructure to support increased population UNISON lobbies government for minimum wage and legal working time for migrant workers

Economic factors Migrant workers provide necessary skills and services Bring overall positive effect to UK economy - £6 billion in 2006 Increases size of total labour market Migrant workers fill skill shortages e.g. in care homes Often take lower skilled roles that UK nationals do not want to do E.g. in agriculture, hospitality, food packing

Social factors UK has aging population Shrinking workforce supporting the growing number of retired workers Migrant workers affected by social conditions Language difficulties, understanding employment rights, cultural differences UNISON provides support for migrant workers Dedicated website Runs language courses Provides range of information in 11 languages Works with community groups for overseas workers Works with employers to support migrant workers

Technological factors Automation in production leads to less-skilled labour needed Rise of online shopping leads to more data management work Low-cost air travel has increased mobility for migrant workers Improved telecommunications have opened up job seeking opportunities e.g. chat rooms, social networking sites Electronic banking enables workers to transfer money more easily