FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG – A majority working in the shadows Figure 8.7 Willingness to pay membership fees 70% 60% 50% 52.3% 52.1% 40% 30% 20% 21.7% 10% 0% my group should pay full membership fees my group should be granted a discount trade unions should provide services for free Senegal Zambia Kenya Benin Côte d’Ivoire 5-country average Ethiopia Question:»If your organization became an affiliate of a trade union, what should be the financial relationship between your group and the trade union? A. My group should pay membership fees to the trade unions and not demand a reduction. B. My group should be granted a discount as my organization is too poor to pay full fees to a trade union. C. The trade union should not ask for fees but provide us with services for free«. Note: Answers are overlapping and figures do not add up to 100 per cent. rearrangement of the financing of other activities. Providing services for a nominal or no fee at all may be acceptable for certain reasons or as an initial incentive. But rendering services without monetary compensation may in the long run challenge the financial viability of a union and may even threaten the fulfilment of its other tasks. How do members of a group regard possible financial con­tributions if they opt for affiliation with a trade union? We raised this question in three versions, each time lowering the monetary benchmark. First, we asked about people’s prepar­edness to engage in a»standard relationship« by paying full dues. Then we asked about views on a discounted fee; and finally, we asked whether union services should be provided free of charge. Ethiopia is again a case to be treated separately. For the other five countries(Figure 8.7) we can conclude that: – Full membership fees are rejected by a large majority. On average, only 21.7 per cent were of the view that their group should pay full membership once affiliated. In Kenya, the financial pressure experienced by service providers is better understood; but even here, a mere 35 per cent were in favour of full dues. – Demands for a discount received wide support. On aver­age, 52.3 per cent responded accordingly. Most of those who did not demand a discount went one step further and opted for free services. Ethiopia is a different case in that each of the three options received support from about half of the respondents. Views thus overlap considerably and many who at first agreed on full fees, then switched in favour of a discount and finally requested free membership. While logically, the three fee options are mutually exclusive, in real life, the final outcome on affiliation fees is usually the result of bargaining. One hopes to get services for free but if rejected, may accept a pay with or without a discount. 9 Ethiopian respondents clearly switched their views more often than respondents in other countries, an attitude that may be linked to their views on trade unions being state-controlled. The high percentage of Ethiopian respondents who were willing in the first in­stance to pay full dues may reflect an authoritarian political environment in which it is best to pay what is demanded, even if it comes from a state-controlled trade union. While the views in the other five countries appear to reflect a gen­uine preparedness to pay membership fees, the Ethiopian figures should be treated with some caution and not taken at face value. For the five country block, we may conclude that interest in affiliation is based mainly on the expectation that an asym­metrical relationship will evolve between service provider and receiver. The asymmetry is articulated most strongly by those who would prefer»free-rider« status. It is also articulated by those who want a subsidy in the form of a discount. With varying intensity, respondents identified a disparity between trade unions and their own groups. Their own group is seen – There are two large camps of similar weight, which de­mand either a discount or free affiliation. Only a small group was ready to pay full membership fees. 9 It is rather difficult to replicate a bargaining arena for group affiliation in an interview situation. Overlapping may be avoided if respondents can select only one option out of the three. This again, however, does not correspond to a bargaining situation. 76