MANCHESTER UNITED’S identity is deeply rooted in its working-class origins.
The club, originally founded as Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Football Club in 1878, was primarily a recreational activity for railway employees. Engels wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England while living in Manchester.
The city was central to Chartism and was the site of the first Trade Union Congress meeting in 1868.
United’s origins have historically led to it demonstrating trade union values. In 1907, Manchester United players formed the Association Footballers Union (AFU) to challenge poor pay and conditions.
The AFU’s campaign resulted in improved pay and paved the way for the introduction of a minimum wage in 1945, the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961, and ultimately the strength of the Professional Footballers Association seen today, which has 100 per cent union membership density among football clubs in the Premier League and Football League.
United’s most successful managers, Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson, acknowledged how trade union values influenced their careers. Busby’s experience during the 1926 General Strike shaped his philosophy, while Ferguson credited his time as a shop steward with developing key management skills.
Manchester United faces significant financial challenges due to declining performance on the pitch and poor management off it under the ownership of the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Since Alex Ferguson’s and David Gill’s departure in 2013, there has been a decline in performance. Under Ferguson, United secured a top four finish for twenty-one consecutive seasons during the Premier League era.
However, since his exit, the club has finished outside the top four in five of the past 10 seasons. United has had 10 managers/head coaches since Ferguson, some of whom received sizeable compensation when dismissed for underperforming. The previous head coach, Erik ten Hag, was paid £10.4 million in compensation after being dismissed shortly after agreeing to a contract extension.
Frequent changes to first-team management have led to regular and substantial player transfer fees being paid, with varying levels of success. Between 2014 and 2023, United had the highest net transfer spend of any club in the world, totalling over £1.1 billion. In 2023, £217 million was spent on player wages, accounting for over 70 per cent of total staff wages at the club.
During the last three months of 2024, the club reported a £38m pre-tax loss. In the first half of the 2024/25 season, United paid £18.8m in debt interest. As the majority of the £731m debt originates from the Glazers’ purchase of the club in 2005, interest charges are a recurring cost the club pays as a consequence of being owned by the family.
Rather than addressing underlying issues, the club plans to reduce costs by targeting non-playing staff for redundancy. Diverse non-playing staff roles in football, including IT, marketing, physiotherapy, and strength and conditioning, are often paid less than comparable roles outside of football.
In 2022, the BBC reported that Manchester United does not pay the real living wage set by the Living Wage Foundation. Although United does not commonly state salaries in its vacancies, it would appear that this remains the case, as the club is not accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.
In 2024, 250 staff were made redundant, with up to another 200 planned for 2025. Efforts to save costs have also led to a reduction in working conditions for non-playing staff. Staff at the training ground, who regularly perform physically demanding tasks, are now restricted to meal options of soup or sandwiches, while first-team players on multimillion-pound contracts continue to have a wide range of dining options at no cost.
Financial reports indicate that increases in player wages and compensation are outweighing any non-playing staff cost-saving efficiencies planned by the club.
### The case for trade union recognition
Manchester United does not recognise trade unions for non-playing staff. However, a formal recognition agreement could benefit both the club and its employees.
The club’s current approach to addressing its financial difficulties seems drastic and harmful to its long-term competitiveness and sustainability. Reports indicate that staff morale at the club is at an all-time low, and management provides limited opportunities for employee consultation.
The lack of staff engagement seems to have led to rushed decisions disenfranchising employees, such as directing all staff to return to office working permanently or resign, without prior consideration of the office working environment. Hospitality suites at the club were converted into office spaces to accommodate the number of staff returning. The forced and hasty return to permanent office working may have led to difficulties in making reasonable adjustments for staff, health and safety concerns and an increased likelihood of employee discrimination.
Moreover, the way staff have been treated is likely to have harmed the club’s reputation and diminished the sense of connection supporters feel with the team. This disconnection is evident in the plans of the 1958 supporters group, which is organising a protest before the Arsenal match on March 9, citing concerns about fan treatment, club management and the loss of culture.
Trade union organisation helps employees, who are often best placed to suggest solutions, to collectively improve workplaces. Trade unions are estimated to save British employers billions of pounds annually through representing their members’ interests.
Recognition agreements for bargaining units at United could serve as a “critical friend” to the club. For example, involving trade unions in redundancy consultations increases the likelihood of them being fair and meaningful, mitigating the impact of redundancy and limiting the potential for employees to make unfair dismissal claims. Furthermore, recognition of trade unions could help the club reconnect with its working-class legacy and core supporters.
Recognising trade unions would also likely improve the pay and working conditions of non-playing staff. By allowing unions to collectively bargain, employees would benefit from better pay, job security, and improved working conditions. These improvements would contribute to a more content and engaged workforce, one that is more likely to see a long-term future at the club, enhancing organisational productivity.
Football is a socialist sport. Clubs that embrace this philosophy, creating an environment in which players, non-playing staff and supporters collectively work towards the same end, are the most successful. Recognising trade unions for non-playing staff could help the club rediscover its identity, become united and return to success.
David Conway is head of careers and employability and UCU branch chair at the University of Northampton. David writes this article in solidarity with Manchester United staff and fans as a Coventry City supporter.