Google UK agrees union access for about 7,000 staff as new access rights take effect
The Guardian reports that Google UK has signed an access agreement letting the union Prospect organise about 7,000 UK staff. It is one of the first big-company deals under the strengthened union right of access, which took effect on 30 October 2026.
What changed
According to the Guardian, Google UK signed the agreement on 2 November 2026. It lets Prospect run sessions in Google's UK workplaces and recruit members among about 7,000 staff, including YouTube. DeepMind is not covered and is expected to reach a separate arrangement.
Google told the paper it signed to comply with the new legislation, saying the agreement builds on its existing work with internal employee representative groups. The Guardian also reports a similar agreement between Prospect and Meta, which employs about 5,000 people in the UK.
GOV.UK's Employment Rights Act timeline confirms that the strengthened right of access for trade unions took effect on 30 October 2026, and that the duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union takes effect on 1 January 2027.
HRjoy’s view
Large employers are treating access requests as something to agree rather than contest, and Google's approach shows union access can sit alongside existing staff forums. Smaller employers are less likely to receive a request soon, but the duty to tell workers about union membership applies to everyone from January. A short plan now avoids a rushed response later.
Source
- Unions gain access to thousands of Google workers after UK employment rights overhaul · The Guardian
- Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act timeline update · GOV.UK
Based on reporting by The Guardian, rewritten in our own words, with the legal points checked against GOV.UK.
General information for employers in Great Britain, not legal advice.
What to do
- Decide who will respond if a union asks for access, and how quickly
- Read the code of practice on trade union access before agreeing any terms
- Prepare how you will tell workers about their right to join a trade union by 1 January 2027
Related answers
- What do the 2026–27 trade union changes mean for employers? The Employment Rights Act 2025 makes recognition and industrial action easier for unions. Several changes already apply, including 10 days' notice of industrial action and simpler recognition. From 30 October 2026 unions gain a statutory right to request workplace access, and from 1 January 2027 employers must tell workers they have the right to join a union. Future dates remain subject to Parliament.
- What is changing under the Employment Rights Act 2025, and when? The Employment Rights Act 2025 is being brought in by phases. Day-one paternity and parental leave, sick pay changes and six-month tribunal time limits already apply. Next come the stronger harassment duties on 30 October 2026, a six-month unfair dismissal qualifying period from 1 January 2027 and fire and rehire protections in March 2027. Future dates remain subject to Parliament.