Unions in the tech age

Unions are making a comeback. Trade unions, sometimes derided, have been an essential component in fighting for labour rights for decades. In Sri Lanka they have lost their lustre in recent years as constant strikes and protests have dimmed their allure. But they are getting new purchase in unusual sectors such as gaming.

The multi-billion dollar gaming industry has been accused of mistreating its employees, not providing employment security and creating unhealthy work conditions. Workers involved in the gaming industry are now attempting to unionise and fight for better pay and working environments. The gaming industry has been accused of a practice called “crunching,” which is essentially hiring large numbers of employees just before the launch of a game, making them work unceasingly for weeks on end to beat the competition and wholesale firing workers after the game is launched. 

Due to current labour regulations in the US this process can be repeated multiple times by the same company and also across the industry. By unionising, employees hope to have a stronger voice in negotiating with their employers, most of whom are massively powerful companies.    

According to a report by The New York Times, tech workers at Silicon Valley’s largest companies have engaged in an unusual degree of activism over the past few years — and it has gotten results. At Google, employees have written letters and signed petitions to force their leaders to address issues such as how artificial intelligence is used in products. Last November, 20,000 Google employees staged a walkout to protest the firm’s handling of sexual harassment, leading to new company policies. Workers at Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Salesforce have also pushed for various changes. 

While many of these efforts may stop short of unionising, they have highlighted unusual demands such as closing gender pay gaps and demanding that companies take action against sexual harassment. This is a different way to deal with issues than what has been seen in the past. 

Obviously Silicone Valley is not going to unionise anytime soon and even green companies such as Tesla have been known to discourage unions in their factories. So it is clear this will be an uphill battle, partly because of the egalitarian environment of tech companies where predominantly white collar workers feel they are empowered enough to negotiate as individuals and do not see the point of a union.  

However, what is interesting is that as more and more people move towards informal work, usually linked to tech industries, there is a growing sentiment that tools such as unions, which had been tossed out as archaic can be repurposed for a new age. Understandably their purpose will be different and their achievements varied. In Sri Lanka unions have largely been a staple of the public and plantations sectors and have a mixed reputation as a result. They are also seen as standard blue collar worker driven efforts limited to wage negotiations. The preference of white collar workers is to establish professional organisations to promote industry goals. 

Nonetheless, around the world there is a sense that with new types of jobs, a rise in the informal sector and the emergence of pervasive tech giants, workers need to have a formal organisation backing them to address employee concerns. Unions and tech industries may appear to be an unusual combination but it is a convergence that provides interesting possibilities for the advancement of labour rights in a new industrial revolution.