That's how it is in Brazil where I work, unions are mandatory. If you don't "voluntarily" contribute to one, your employer is required by law to withold a day's pay every year, and give it to the default union for your category. Obviously not anyone can start a union that counts.
It's controversial, but, IMO, it's not good at all. Unions here are very political, and often detached from what the workers actually want.
I once "participated" in a nationwide protest I hadn't heard about until the very day. Union thugs stopped the corporate buses full of workers from reaching the factory, got in bus by bus and instructed us to remain on the bus "for our own safety" - seriously, direct quote - so we were "deliberately" late for work.
I used to like my union when I was still working there. They always managed to negotiate higher and fairer raises for us every year.
That said, some things were unpleasant. For example, they wouldn't let you switch from a 40h to a 30h contract, no matter how many times you told them you actually wanted that, because they would always take the stance that the employer was forcing the employee to do that so they could pay them less.
It's controversial, but, IMO, it's not good at all. Unions here are very political, and often detached from what the workers actually want.
I once "participated" in a nationwide protest I hadn't heard about until the very day. Union thugs stopped the corporate buses full of workers from reaching the factory, got in bus by bus and instructed us to remain on the bus "for our own safety" - seriously, direct quote - so we were "deliberately" late for work.