Prospect strikes landmark access agreement with Google
Prospect union have announced that they have successfully struck an agreement with Google that will give the union the right to speak to Google employees in the UK.
The agreement comes immediately following the new trade union right of access coming into force on 30th October, which for the first time gives unions the ability to communicate with non-unionised workers.
Under the terms of the agreement, Prospect will be able to connect with Google workers both physically and digitally, including running sessions on trade union membership at Google’s workplaces, including Kings Cross.
Prospect already has thousands of members in the tech sector including at Google, and argues that this deal – which builds on new UK workplace legislation – will give employees direct access to Prospect union.
The deal comes on the back of a similar agreement between Prospect and Meta, with the union making a concerted push to build on its reputation as the leading union for tech workers.
The union aims to use the agreement to grow its membership numbers in Google. When unions recruit sufficient number of employees into membership they are able to apply for formal recognition by a company.
Prospect General Secretary Mike Clancy said:
“Prospect has been organising tech workers for many years, and this access agreement is a powerful signal of intent that we can successfully negotiate agreements with even the biggest global tech companies.
“Tech workers deserve a stronger voice at work, whether that is over bread-and-butter trade union issues like pay and flexibility, AI deployment or workplace culture.
“I am pleased that Google has struck this agreement with us, and hope it sends a clear signal to other tech companies that having a relationship with trade unions is the new normal in the sector.
“The more Googlers that join Prospect, the stronger our voice will be in Google and across the tech sector, and with our track record of delivering wins for members, I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”
A Google spokesperson said:
“To comply with the new UK workplace legislation, we have established a structured access agreement with Prospect Union for Google UK’s employees.
“This step builds on our established work with internal employee representative groups, allowing us to fulfil these new requirements while preserving the respectful, direct dialogue our culture is built on.”
