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United Tech & Allied Workers

@utaw.tech
1.8K followers 138 following 100 posts

United Tech & Allied Workers, organising across UK & NI | The first union for tech workers, by tech workers | A branch of CWU | 📧 contact@utaw.tech

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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 6h
Multiverse employees organising with UTAW are lifting the lid on the effects of intrusive, inaccurate and remorseless monitoring by the company's AI model: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Teachers at Euan Blair firm report ‘horrendous stress’ after AI used to rate their work
Exclusive: Instructors at tech training company Multiverse hit out at ‘remorseless’ and ‘unnerving’ monitoring system
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
But speaking of staying in one's lane, can we PLEASE switch the default position from "It's fine to use 'AI' for this thing I'm not an expert in" to "Yeah, I'd be really skeptical of any use cases and need to see strong evidence that it's okay, but I'm not the one who can produce that evidence"?
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 28/09/2026
Hey! We'll do more things over the coming months that are online that are accessible who can't make it today :)
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 27/09/2026
We're hosting a panel tomorrow (Monday the 28th) in Liverpool about our new Workers' Inquiry on AI - come down to the Dog and Collar from 6:30 - 8:30pm.
Poster advertising the UTAW/CWU panel on their new AI Workers' Inquiry. Takes place on Monday the 28th of December from 6:30-8:30 at the Dog and Collar on Hope Street in Liverpool, is chaired by Neil Duncan Jordan MP and has speakers from UTAW, the tech worker's branch of the CWU.
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The Distributed AI Research (DAIR) Institute @dairinstitute.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Yes! We need workers' expertise and lived experiences to help shape how AI is built and deployed. In contrast to the tech execs "representing capital’s avaricious vision for genAI technology...the voices in this report speak in terms of progress, fairness, and defence of the vulnerable." 👏👏👏
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 25/09/2026
Hello! We're a tech workers' union so this report focusses mainly on the tech sector and tech workers who do tech roles in non-tech companies.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 25/09/2026
@dairinstitute.bsky.social are a big inspiration for us and this Inquiry :) We worked with them to highlight the stories of TikTok workers for this one: data-workers.org/fasica-utaw/
data-workers.org
Unveiling: The Invisible Lives of TikTok Data Workers in London
This report documents the lived experiences of trust and safety workers at TikTok in London. They face systematic outsourcing, replacement by inadequate automated systems, and layoffs without accounta...
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 24/09/2026
Share our report and support our call to the government to create a new AI regulator with teeth, enshrine the right to refuse to use AI, protect skills, force social and environmental accountability and protect workers from AI-led redundancies. go.utaw.tech/ai
go.utaw.tech
AI Workers' Inquiry 2026 | Tech Workers Inquiry
How AI is changing work in the tech sector, from the workers who build, deploy, manage, evaluate and use this technology. A Tech Workers' Inquiry from UTAW.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 24/09/2026
Despite what tech CEOs are saying when they need an investment injection, we’ve found that genAI is creating MORE work, not reducing it. We’re seeing deskilling, downskilling, invasive monitoring, decreased job security, degraded wellbeing and an almost total lack of consultation with workers.
go.utaw.tech
AI Workers' Inquiry 2026 | Tech Workers Inquiry
How AI is changing work in the tech sector, from the workers who build, deploy, manage, evaluate and use this technology. A Tech Workers' Inquiry from UTAW.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 24/09/2026
Our Workers’ Inquiry outlines how generative AI is changing work across the tech sector, written with the perspectives and experiences of workers who build, deploy, manage, evaluate and use this technology. We don't have to accept the future Big Tech has for us. go.utaw.tech/ai
go.utaw.tech
AI Workers' Inquiry 2026 | Tech Workers Inquiry
How AI is changing work in the tech sector, from the workers who build, deploy, manage, evaluate and use this technology. A Tech Workers' Inquiry from UTAW.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 24/09/2026
Everyone’s talking about AI, but no one’s actually asking workers how it’s affecting us. So we’ve done it ourselves. Today we are launching the AI Workers’ Inquiry, a new study led by workers themselves, into the way AI is changing work. Read it at go.utaw.tech/ai
go.utaw.tech
AI Workers' Inquiry 2026 | Tech Workers Inquiry
How AI is changing work in the tech sector, from the workers who build, deploy, manage, evaluate and use this technology. A Tech Workers' Inquiry from UTAW.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 24/09/2026
We're so looking forward to heading to Dublin for @data-cwu.bsky.social's Workers' AI Counter Summit!
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Archie Hall @archiehall.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
1/ This is bottom-up, not top-down, and reflects choices MPs (and their staff) are making. I spoke to several. Reactions ran the gamut from denial to defence: "for every half hour saved on speechwriting, 'that is another 30 minutes we can put into supporting my constituents.'"
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 14/09/2026
‘Google is in the military kill chain’: Google DeepMind’s AI workers are unionising over ethical concerns around the provision of cloud and AI technologies to the US and Israeli militaries, but the company is pushing back. www.computerweekly.com/news/3666502...
computerweekly.com
Inside Google AI worker’s union drive to instil company ethics | Computer Weekly
‘Google is in the military kill chain’: Google DeepMind’s artificial intelligence workers are attempting to unionise over ethical concerns around the provision of cloud and AI technologies to the US a...
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John Chadfield @joxn.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
UK Wiki workers unionisation process well underway with @utaw.tech
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 21/08/2026
Our friends at @data-cwu.bsky.social in Ireland are hosting a Workers' AI Counter Summit in October, register below and we'll see you there!
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 20/08/2026
I've never seen such an effort to censor a document as I have the Amnesty International report on gender critical groups because of JK Rowling. They removed the report from the Wayback Machine and now I got a DMCA strike on my Google Drive for having it. It was deleted and removed from my account.
A screenshot of an email viewed in dark mode with the subject line "Google DMCA Violation." The email from Google informs the recipient that they have received a notification under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that some of their materials allegedly infringe on copyrights. It explains the removal process, mentions that notice details will be posted on Lumen, warns against repeated violations, and lists one affected Google Drive URL at the bottomA nearly identical mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. It shows a search for the same Amnesty International UK resources URL, resulting in the same message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."A mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. A URL for an Amnesty International UK resources page is entered in the search bar, but the page displays the message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."
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Stefan Bohacek @fediverse.stefanbohacek.online · 06/08/2026
The very first website is 35 years old today, and you can still visit it at info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProje…! "On August 6, 1991, the first website was introduced to the world. [It] contained information about the World Wide Web Project […] [Original post on stefanbohacek.online]
Screenshot of a very simple web page from the first link in the post, titled "World Wide Web", with no images, just black text on white background, and blue, underlined links.

Below the title is a brief description of the World Wide Web project and a few links, that are blue and underlined.

Full transcript of the web page text:

The WorldWideWeb (W3) is a wide-area hypermedia information retrieval initiative aiming to give universal access to a large universe of documents.

Everything there is online about W3 is linked directly or indirectly to this document, including an executive summary of the project, Mailing lists , Policy , November's W3 news , Frequently Asked Questions .

What's out there?
Pointers to the world's online information, subjects , W3 servers, etc.

Help
on the browser you are using

Software Products
A list of W3 project components and their current state. (e.g. Line Mode ,X11 Viola , NeXTStep , Servers , Tools , Mail robot , Library )

Technical
Details of protocols, formats, program internals etc

Bibliography
Paper documentation on W3 and references.

People
A list of some people involved in the project.

History
A summary of the history of the project.

How can I help ?
If you would like to support the web..

Getting code
Getting the code by anonymous FTP , etc.
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John Chadfield @joxn.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Wikimedia Foundation CEO "we support the employee’s right to unionize" Also Wikimedia Foundation CEO: *hires Littler-Mendelson, the largest union avoidance firm in the US* @wikimediafoundation.org
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 04/08/2026
If you're a UTAW member, come along to our inoculation training to learn more too! It's one of many sessions covering organising skills that happen weekly.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 04/08/2026
Essential reading for those following the @wikiworkersunited.org campaign OR wanting to prepare/inoculate against union busting in their own workplace. medium.com/regarding-wi...
medium.com
Lies, Damned Lies, and Union-Busting Statements
What the Wikimedia Foundation is saying versus the evidence
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 04/08/2026
If you're a UTAW member, we do very regular trainings on inoculation (and other organising skills) too.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 31/07/2026
"Collective action is our best enforcer of rights, not the courts. Using the same muscle trained in workplace action, we can project power into the political arena to change laws to our collective benefit. We have no option other than to get organising. It’s the only way the working class can win."
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 31/07/2026
"The overburdening of the tribunal system is not due to a surplus of rights but rather the decline of unions and their power in the workplace over the past 40 years. We have the opportunity to rebuild and reverse that decline, and we must sieze it."
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 31/07/2026
Our branch secretary Duncan wrote about the limits of legalism and why organising is the way forward for workers, have a read: utaw.tech/news/anti-le...
utaw.tech
“Can my boss do [bad thing]?” is a question often asked by workers to their union reps. It’s an important question – one of our tasks as a union is to ensure we understand our rights as workers. It should be rephrased though, because people and organisations can and do breach workers rights and behave in all sorts of ways they shouldn’t. The real question is “what can we do when my boss does [bad thing]?”. A right is as good as our ability to enforce it.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 27/07/2026
We spoke to Arielle Pardes about the end of tech worker exceptionalism and the move towards organising collectively in the tech industry: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
How AI may drive union-resistant tech workers to the bargaining table
Tech workers are increasingly unionizing, trading Silicon Valley’s myth of exceptionalism for collective bargaining to contest the corporate deployment of artificial intelligence
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M a r c u s 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Could Guardian’s “partnership” (bung) from OpenAI be leading to absolute dross articles like this?
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 17/07/2026
We're proud to be a sponsor of this year's @emfcamp.bsky.social. UTAW members are around this week at the camp. Come + find us to learn about how UTAW is organising across the tech sector + maybe even grab a sticker or two. For members on the UTAW Discord, find the emfcamp-2026 channel to say hi.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 14/07/2026
UTAW socks, back in stock www.utaw.shop/product/socks
utaw.shop
socks
New socks for 2026, on which the workers will proudly march to victory. Sport socks in a comradely red with the UTAW logo in white, designed to perfectly compliment your employer's dress code. Sizes —...
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Andreas Kirsch @blackhc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
As published by @utaw.tech: utaw.tech/news/trust-... The full essay, with all sources and easier to read citations, is here: www.blackhc.net/essays/trus... Speaking in my personal capacity as a UTAW member, not on behalf of Google or DeepMind.
blackhc.net
Trust is not Governance
Google DeepMind's reported Pentagon contract shows why trust and safety culture can't substitute for real governance: independent oversight, transparency, accountability; and protected employee voice.
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Andreas Kirsch @blackhc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Individual objections are easy to ignore, and employee leverage shrinks as models improve. That's why the @utaw.tech / @cwunews.bsky.social recognition effort at Google DeepMind matters: independent ethics oversight, whistleblower protection, and a right to refuse projects on moral grounds.
Two documents. 

2018, Project Maven: about 4,000 employees sign a petition against the Pentagon drone-imagery project, some resign — Google does not renew the contract (The New York Times, June 2018). 

2026, Pentagon contract: 600+ Googlers and DeepMinders sign an open letter asking Sundar Pichai not to put AI models on classified networks — the deal is signed anyway, days later (The Information, Apr. 2026). 

Kicker: Individual objections are easy to ignore. That is the argument for collective representation.
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Andreas Kirsch @blackhc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I work at Google DeepMind. This won't make me popular. But it's all public reporting: 2014: DeepMind reportedly sold to Google on conditions: no military use, independent oversight 2026: a Pentagon contract for "any lawful government purpose" Not one safeguard survived intact
Collage titled "Trust is not Governance — an essay from inside Google DeepMind, written in personal capacity." 

A 2014 memorandum, "Conditions of the Acquisition," lists: military applications of DeepMind technology banned; deployment decisions before an independent ethics board (as reported in Mallaby's The Infinity Machine). 

Red threads lead to a 2026 U.S. Department of Defense agreement for classified networks reading "any lawful government purpose," with safety settings and filters adjusted at the government's request and no contractor veto (reported terms, The Information, Apr. 2026). 

Below: a 2018 AI Principles strip ("no weapons, no surveillance") stamped DROPPED 2025, and a Project Mario 2016–2021 tag stamped ABANDONED.
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Strike Map @strikemap.org · 14/07/2026
NEW 🚨| 22 trade union leaders, representing more than 1.3 million workers, are calling on @rockstargames.com to stop playing games with workers' rights and recognise the @gameworkers.co.uk . Read and share the letter below 👇 #Solidarity #StrikeMap
Dear Jenn Kolbe and Rob Spampinato

Rockstar stop playing games with workers rights
 
We call on Rockstar Games to recognise the IWGB Rockstar Union.
 
The success of the video games industry comes from the efforts of its workers and it is essential that structures are created to ensure the workers have a voice in decision making. 
 
Without the Rockstar workforce, Grand Theft Auto would not be one of the highest grossing video game franchises of all time. Now Rockstar workers must be given a seat at the table so they can share in this success.

The IWGB has a proud record bringing together workers in the video games sector - launched by the Game Workers Unite international and lately having achieved the first recognition agreement in the sector at ZA/UM.Workers at Rockstar have chosen the IWGB for their union, and it is only right that Rockstar respects their choice and agrees to bargain with them.
 
Every worker, including those at Rockstar, deserves to be and should be part of a union. 
 
We hope you will make the right choice.
 
Yours
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 05/07/2026
Find us by looking for the CWU and UTAW banners or pop down to the CWU tent. If you’re camping, the CWU Young Workers are also hosting an event at the campsite for young workers.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 05/07/2026
For those joining, the procession leaves Market Place in Durham City at 8:30am and the Big Meeting opens at 1pm on the racecourse. The blessing of the banners takes place at Durham Cathedral from 3pm but get there early (around 2pm) to make sure you get a seat.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 05/07/2026
We’re looking forward to marching with our marras in branches across the CWU and the wider trade union movement next Saturday at the Miners’ Gala!
Image of the Durham Miners Gala Procession with the text "Durham Miners Gala, 11th of July"
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Andreas Kirsch @blackhc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
A serious essay by me with many personal thoughts: utaw.tech/news/trust-i... It's on us as Google DeepMind employees to demand real governance, and our union's (@utaw.tech) recognition push is the most realistic path to get there before it's too late
utaw.tech
UTAW: Trust is not Governance
DeepMind has bet that a strong safety culture and good leadership built on trust are sufficient to withstand outside pressure. The bet has failed.
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King Chrono @chronogam3r.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Rockstar workers attempting to unionize today after mass firings and i hope to God they succeed. I want the people who make the games we love to be treated right lol
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 01/07/2026
Solidarity with the Rockstar workers at IWGB Game Workers!
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aldtu.bsky.social @aldtu.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
I stand before you today because we are witnessing a coordinated, systemic attack on disabled workers - an attack that is being dressed up as "reform" but feels like a declaration of war buff.ly/Gqb9XHd @marisharay.bsky.social @cwunews.bsky.social @utaw.tech @stevedarlingmp.bsky.social
buff.ly
Recommitting to Action Against Disability Cuts
Conference, Chair, Comrades, Lee Elliott, I stand before you today because we are witnessing a coordinated, systemic attack on disabled workers - an attack that is being dressed up as "reform" but…
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John Chadfield @joxn.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Good luck to companies trying to do this in 5 to 10 years when the junior to "gray beard" pipeline is truly broken.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 25/06/2026
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Create Some Good @createsomegood.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Exciting unionization update: the UK branch of wiki workers united is filing for recognition! 1000+ volunteer wikipedia editors have pledged solidarity to staff at WWU, and wikimedia said they would cooperate with unionization efforts en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped... #unions #unionization
en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia talk:Wiki Workers United solidarity - Wikipedia
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 24/06/2026
BREAKING: Wikipedia workers in Britain are setting a global first by becoming the first group of workers at the online encyclopaedia to seek union recognition.
Infographic showing the UTAW and CWU logos and the following text:
British-based employees at the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) have requested recognition for their union from their employer. They are organising with UTAW and have a significant majority union membership at WMF. 

Today's step towards unionisation is a global first for Wikimedia workers. It comes after a period of significant change at WMF, escalating workers’ concerns over transparency, trust, and the organisation’s future direction. "Our union is proud to stand with these principled workers, who are initiating this process in the hope of creating a durable workplace grounded in transparency, accountability and participation across the WMF workforce.
We urge the organisation to meet them in this spirit of good faith and co-operation."


- John Chadfield
 National Officer for Tech, CWU If you work at in tech and want to learn how to organise your workplace for better conditions and a fairer tech sector, join your union, the United Tech and Allied Workers branch of the CWU, sign up to training and get involved at utaw.tech/join
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Owen Blacker @owen.blacker.me.uk · 24/06/2026
Super pleased to see UK friends and comrades from Wiki Workers United join my own trades union, @utaw.tech Welcome friends!
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 21/05/2026
The Guardian: Google DeepMind in talks with UK unions amid staff concern over US and Israel’s AI use www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Google DeepMind in talks with UK unions amid staff concern over US and Israel’s AI use
Exclusive: Google DeepMind agrees to Acas talks after workers sign petitions about governments’ use of AI for defence and intelligence
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Owen Blacker @owen.blacker.me.uk · 15/05/2026
Got my stickers on my laptop at last! (Featuring @wikiproyectolgbt.bsky.social and @utaw.tech, as well as some work projects)
A laptop case with stickers on it. 3 are in queer pride colours (a UTAW logo, the word "Human" featuring 5 different pride flags and Barba, the ghost-shaped mascot for Wikiproyecto LGBT+), 4 are work-related (from GDS and DfE), one is a retro computer with built-in floppy-drive with "tech needs unions" on the screen, and another is a jar full of cats which is labelled anti-depressants.
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Tim Newman @tnewmsblues.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
“Meta’s workers are paying the price for management’s ⁠reckless, expensive bets. While execs chase speculative AI, staff face job cuts, draconian surveillance & the cruel reality of being forced to train inefficient systems positioned to replace them” @utaw.tech www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
reuters.com
Exclusive: Meta employees launch protest against mouse-tracking tech at US offices
Flyers at U.S. ‌offices ​encouraged staffers to sign an online petition against the move.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 07/05/2026
Workers at Meta are organising with UTAW after attacks on their employment rights, redundancies and shocking violations of privacy against both Meta employees and users of their platforms.
"META WORKERS ORGANISING WITH UTAW" — Workers are organising at Meta with the UK's largest tech union citing attacks on their employment rights, redundancies and shocking violations of privacy against both Meta employees and users of their platforms.
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United Tech & Allied Workers @utaw.tech · 06/05/2026
John Chadfield, CWU National Officer for Tech, speaks to BBC Newshour about Google Deepmind.
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