technology ·
Unions gain access to thousands of Google workers after UK employment rights overhaul
A protest organised by the Unite union outside Google’s UK headquarters in King’s Cross, north London, in 2023 after the company unveiled plans to cut thousands of jobs.
Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The GuardianView image in fullscreenA protest organised by the Unite union outside Google’s UK headquarters in King’s Cross, north London, in 2023 after the company unveiled plans to cut thousands of jobs. The Prospect union has reached an agreement with Google to begin organising among about 7,000 workers across its UK operations, including YouTube but excluding DeepMind. Google DeepMind is expected to strike a separate agreement, with the Communication Workers Union seeking recognition there.
The deal follows a similar agreement between Prospect and Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram and employs about 5,000 people in the UK. The agreements will allow unions to communicate with non-unionised workers and encourage them to join.
