Google agreement opens UK workplaces to union organising under new rules

Google has signed an agreement giving the Prospect trade union access to about 7,000 employees across its UK operations, as new workplace rights create opportunities for unions to expand their presence in major technology companies. The agreement, signed on Monday, November 2, covers workers at YouTube as well as other parts of Google, but does not include DeepMind.

The arrangement enables Prospect to speak with employees who are not union members and encourage them to join. It will also allow the union to hold sessions within Google workplaces, including the company’s flagship headquarters in King’s Cross, London. Prospect represents more than 160,000 workers in the UK across a range of sectors.

The Google deal comes after Prospect reached a similar agreement with Meta, the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, which has about 5,000 UK employees. Google DeepMind is expected to reach a separate agreement. The Communication Workers Union is seeking recognition at that business.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said the agreement demonstrated that unions could negotiate access with the largest global technology businesses after years of organising in the sector. He said technology employees needed more influence over pay, flexible working, the deployment of artificial intelligence and workplace culture. Clancy welcomed Google’s decision and said he hoped it would encourage other companies to establish relationships with unions.

Clancy also said that growing union membership at Google and Meta would strengthen employees’ voices at work. He pointed to Prospect’s record of securing gains for members and expressed optimism about what the union and workers could achieve together.

Google said it had entered the agreement to meet the requirements of the new UK workplace legislation, while maintaining that its existing internal employee relations were good. A company spokesperson said the arrangement would build on its work with internal employee representative groups and allow it to meet the new requirements while retaining direct dialogue with staff.

The Employment Rights Act allows unions to enter workplaces to meet employees or contact them electronically. Employers will also have to tell workers about their right to join a union from January. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said last week that he anticipated a wave of private sector union recognition agreements over the following year. Previously, recognition campaigns have sometimes required unions to organise outside workplaces, including the GMB’s unsuccessful attempt to secure recognition at Amazon’s warehouse near Coventry two years ago.