Trade unions are expected to expand their presence in the UK technology sector after new workplace access rights came into force. Google UK has signed an agreement with Prospect allowing the union to begin organising among about 7,000 employees across its UK operations, including YouTube but not Google DeepMind.
Under the agreement, Prospect will be able to communicate with non-unionised workers and encourage them to join. The union will also hold workplace sessions, including at Google’s headquarters in King’s Cross, London. Prospect represents more than 160,000 workers across several sectors.
Google DeepMind is expected to negotiate a separate agreement. The Communication Workers Union is seeking recognition there. The Google deal follows a similar agreement between Prospect and Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram and employs about 5,000 people in the UK.
Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said the agreement showed that unions could negotiate access with major global technology companies. He said workers deserved a stronger voice on issues including pay, flexibility, artificial intelligence deployment and workplace culture.
Google said it had signed the agreement to comply with the new UK workplace legislation, while maintaining that it already had good relations with its employees. A company spokesperson said the arrangement built on existing work with internal employee representative groups and preserved the company’s direct dialogue with staff.
The Trades Union Congress general secretary, Paul Nowak, has predicted a wave of private-sector union recognition agreements over the next year as the new rules take effect.
The Employment Rights Act allows unions to enter workplaces to meet employees or communicate with them electronically. From January, employers will also have to inform workers of their right to join a union. Previously, unions seeking recognition sometimes had to organise employees from outside their workplaces, as happened during the GMB’s unsuccessful attempt to gain recognition at an Amazon warehouse near Coventry two years ago.
Sources: The Guardian World.