Google employees from across the globe are forming a union alliance, weeks after more than 200 workers at the search engine giant and other units of parent company Alphabet Inc formed a labor union for U.S. and Canadian offices.
Alpha Global was formed in coordination with UNI Global Union, a union federation that represents about 20 million workers globally, and includes unions from countries such as the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and the UK, UNI Global Union said media statement.
“The problems at Alphabet – and created by Alphabet – are not limited to any one country, and must be addressed on a global level,” UNI’s General Secretary Christy Hoffman said.
Alphabet was not immediately available to comment.
Alpha Global brings together 20 million workers from multiple sectors in the service economy including those in Information, Communications, and Technology, and Services (ICTS).
The alliance includes union from 10 countries, including the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Alpha Global’s creation comes just two weeks after U.S. Alphabet workers formed the Alphabet Workers Union.
“We know that organizing for justice at a global company like Alphabet does not stop at national boundaries, and that is why it is so important to unite with workers in other countries,” said Parul Koul Google software engineer.
The unions say that international action is particularly important now, as the company has ramped up retaliation against critics, hired “union avoidance” firms, and pushed back against organizing efforts, like the one in Zurich, Switzerland.
UNI Global Union represents 20 million skills and services workers in 150 countries—including 3 million in the ICTS sector.
