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Google workers in 10 countries organize to defend their rights and freedom of expression

2021-01-25T13:56:16.019Z


"The problems in Alphabet - and created by Alphabet - are not limited to a single country, and must be tackled globally," says the new organization.


Google Mountain View Office, San FranciscoReuters Staff / Reuters

Google workers from around the world have come together to form a global union called Alpha Global, which will be made up of 13 different organizations representing workers from 10 countries, including the United States or the United Kingdom, and which for now does not include Spain.

This announcement comes weeks after workers in the United States and Canada launched the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), a minority union affiliated with the Communications Workers of America.

AWU went from having 230 members to more than 700 in a week after its launch.

Alpha Global is affiliated with UNI Global Union, a federation of unions representing 20 million people around the world, including Amazon workers.

“[Google] is a place where many workers have come to change the world, to make it more democratic, and they have found that Alphabet is suppressing freedom of expression and cracking down on workers' organizing, at the same time. once it consolidates monopoly power, ”the joint statement said.

"We know that organizing for justice in a global company like Alphabet doesn't stop at national borders," said Parul Koul, executive chairman of the Workers' Union and a

Google

software

engineer

.

“That is why it is so important to unite with workers from other countries.

In a world where inequality is torn apart, our societies and corporations are more influential than ever, reclaiming our power through our unions has never been more important. "

Alpha Global organizers say they plan to address national issues, such as the treatment of content moderators in certain countries, as well as international concerns, such as the fact that workers are forced to sign confidentiality agreements.

In total, the alliance includes unions from the United States, Switzerland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Belgium.

"The power of these global tech companies is such that they are in every part of our lives," says Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin, organizer of the Communications Workers Union in Ireland, quoted by

The Verge

.

“If they act this way with almost no government control, then there is no brake on what they can do.

You have to control that power, and only through collective action can workers do it. "

Minority unions like AWU gain their power by building worker solidarity.

The structure allows AWU to include Google's contractors as well as full-time employees, but it also means that the union is not currently recognized by the National Labor Relations Board and cannot force Google management to negotiate.

Likewise, Alpha Global will gain power by uniting Google workers in different countries.

The coalition will not have a legally binding agreement with the company, at least initially.

Later, you can try to pressure Google to sign a

neutrality agreement

- a contract that requires Google to support unionization attempts - although it seems doubtful that the company will accept those conditions.

In 2020, according to the specialized portal

The Verge

, UNI Global Union helped organize the

Make Amazon Pay

campaign

, an international strike during

Black Friday

that won the support of more than 400 legislators.

"The problems in Alphabet - and created by Alphabet - are not limited to a single country, and must be addressed globally," says UNI Secretary General Christy Hoffman.

"The movement launched by tech workers at Google and beyond is inspiring," the statement said.

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Source: elparis

All tech articles on 2021-01-25

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