Google rejects UK union recognition but offers talks via conciliation body

By Muvija M

LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) – Google said it had rejected a request from two British unions for voluntary recognition but would negotiate with them via a state-backed conciliation service, delaying ​a potential statutory process that could force recognition.

Under UK ‌rules, the move opens a 20-working-day window, extendable by agreement, for talks on recognition. If talks fail, unions can seek statutory recognition via the country’s independent Central Arbitration Committee.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite said earlier this month that they ‌had ​sent a formal letter to Google seeking ⁠voluntary recognition after an ⁠employee-organised vote showed support for unionisation at Google’s AI unit DeepMind.

The company confirmed the receipt of that letter, which gave it 10 days under UK rules to respond by agreeing to voluntary ​recognition, rejecting the request or entering negotiations.

“We’ve declined the unions’ request for voluntary recognition to bargain collectively on pay, hours and holiday, ⁠but we have offered to meet ⁠via ACAS, which is a standard next step,” a ​Google DeepMind spokesperson said via email on Wednesday. “We continue to value the ​constructive and direct dialogue that we have with our employees ‌about building a positive and successful workplace.”

Britain’s new employment rights legislation, which came into force last month, has simplified the union recognition process, lowering some of the thresholds and procedural hurdles for unions.

Google has ⁠about 7,000 employees in the UK, including those at DeepMind.

The CWU welcomed the company’s offer to engage in discussions.

“In previous months, unprecedented numbers of ⁠Google DeepMind employees have ‌expressed concerns over the direction of their work ⁠by joining their union,” it said in a ​statement. “We are ‌confident that even more workers will know the ​need for ⁠a democratic workers’ voice at DeepMind.”

Globally, big technology companies have been accused by workers’ rights groups of discouraging unionisation through “union-busting” tactics, a characterisation the firms reject, saying they favour direct dialogue with workers over formal collective bargaining.

(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Paul Sandle and Mark Porter ​and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)