If you work in tech in the UK, join a union.
Even if your employer is great now, things can change. The current general obsession with AI is a good reason to be aware of all of your rights.
Even as a lone member in a company you have access to valuable advice and support. 🤞 You may never need it, in which case your membership helps those that do.
UTAW are a bit more political / campaigining: https://utaw.tech/
Prospect a bit less: https://prospect.org.uk/tech-workers/
Many people in tech, in the UK, seem to have a very US-centric view of unions... due to how the US dominates the tech sphere online.
The UK is quite different. It is *very* easy to join a union in the UK, and benefit signficantly.
Even in a non-collective bargaining workplace, a union (and their representatives) can support you in various ways.
A union can educate you about the signficant rights employees have, in the UK and about bodies like ACAS.
It is not expensive - UTAW is £8.70/month
@dctrud And if you don't belong to a union and you get involved in an HR process to which you are allowed (by law) to bring a union rep, eg to an appeal meeting, then you can hire one even if there is no union in the company.
(Not every HR manager in a non-union company knows this, though they should.)
Similar recommendation for Germany:
Join a union ("Gewerkschaft") and found a works council ("Betriebsrat") if you don't have one yet.
Unions can and will help you founding a works council (even if you're not a member).
While there is no dedicated tech workers union in Germany (at least none that I know of), @wirsindverdi would be a fitting union for most tech workers.
Without trade unions, today’s world would be a very different place. Many of the working and living conditions that we take for granted are the fruit of hard work by the unions – which is why it is important for us to protect and expand them. To be able to do so, we need a solid foundation of membership – and that’s where you come in!
Francis 🇾🇪 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️
dctrud
Tim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPE
Carl C
kutax
ramblingsteve
mossfet -> EMF 2026
zbrown