MEMBERSHIP of trades union Unity has fallen below 5,000 for the first time.

Accounts filed by the organisation show the former potters' union had 4,953 members in 2009 – compared with 5,871 in 2008 and 10,063 in 2003.

But it is all a far cry from 1971, when the union boasted 57,000 members.

Now, Unity general secretary Geoff Bagnall has blamed the latest membership drop on hundreds of job losses at Waterford Wedgwood when administrators were called in last year.

Adults pay £2 a week to Unity, with lower rates for juveniles, students, the unemployed and retired members.

Mr Bagnall said: "Like every union in the country, we are unable to stop redundancies taking place – we would if we could.

"We were the first union in the country to set up a resource centre to provide education and training which recognised that people needed help other than in a financial sense after redundancy.

"I think we are still the cheapest trade union in the country out of those affiliated to the TUC, so we believe that even in these terrible times, we provide value for money."

The accounts show Mr Bagnall's pay has continued to increase, despite the membership drop. They reveal Mr Bagnall received a gross pay packet of £42,708 last year, up 2.7 per cent from £41,598 in 2008.

His package, which includes pension contributions and expenses such as transport, reached £72,438, up from £71,000 the previous year.

He added: "We did have a pay rise, but we did negotiate a number of rises such as at Wedgwood, so many of our members had a rise too.

"We do try to keep the rises to a reasonable level and our pay compares favourably to other trade union officers. We are among the lowest-paid officers because pottery has traditionally been a low-paid industry."

The former Ceramic And Allied Trades Union (CATU) changed its name to Unity in July 2005.

CATU had seen its membership slump to just 6,000 and re-branded itself to open itself up to more trades.

Former Wedgwood worker Antimo Barbieri was made redundant from Wedgwood in 2008 after almost 30 years' service.

The 49-year-old, of Hartshill, who now runs a private hire business, said: "I had a few problems at Wedgwood and to be fair the union was absolutely brilliant.

"Sometimes you would think it was a waste of time being a member but when you come to need them, you realise how much they do and how much they spend on things like solicitors for you.

"They pushed the boat out for me. Unity was brilliant, but as for what I think of Wedgwood, you couldn't repeat it."