Google rejects UK union recognition but offers talks via conciliation body
Talks follow a rejected recognition request as workers raise concerns that AI models could be used in weapons and surveillance, the union said.
- Google DeepMind announced on Wednesday that it declined a request from UK-based employees to voluntarily recognize newly formed unions, though the company offered to begin formal discussions via Acas.
- The Communication Workers Union and Unite sought recognition after employees expressed concerns about AI technology being used for weapons, surveillance, and military contracts involving Israel.
- Under UK rules, the company had 10 working days to respond to the request, opening a 20-working-day window for negotiations that could lead to a formal ballot later this year.
- This marks a first for Google, which has no recognized trade union in Britain. The company says "We've declined the unions" request for voluntary recognition, citing preference for direct dialogue with roughly 7,000 UK-based employees.
- If mediation fails, the unions can seek statutory recognition via Britain's independent Central Arbitration Committee. Globally, technology firms face accusations of "union-busting," a characterization these companies reject.
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UPDATE 1-Google rejects UK union recognition but offers talks via conciliation body
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.
Company has about 7,000 employees in the UK, including those at DeepMind
Google rejects DeepMind UK staff move to unionize, offers talks
LONDON — Google's AI lab DeepMind said Wednesday it had declined to recognize unions established by UK employees concerned about the military uses of its technology, but offered to enter into negotiations instead.
Google rejects UK union recognition but offers talks via conciliation body
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.
The tech workers building AI are scared of it, too
This month, UK-based workers at Google DeepMind, the company’s artificial intelligence research laboratory, decided to unionise. One of their motivations was concern that their employer was supplying AI tools to militaries. In April, more than 600 Google employees sent a letter to the company’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, demanding he refuse any Pentagon contract that would deploy Google’s AI for any classified work — to ensure it couldn’t b…
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