- Meta reaches agreement to allow Prospect union access to UK employees
- New reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 come into force in October 2026
- Despite slipping steadily, UK union membership could see a major bounce back
Meta has reached an agreement with Prospect union to allow access to its UK employees to speak about membership opportunities.
The move comes as a deadline for compliance with new union membership rules under the Employment Rights Act 2025 looms in October 2026.
Under the agreement, Prospect will have access to all 5,000 of Meta’s UK employees, allowing the union to talk to Meta workers about the benefits of union membership and recruit workers.
New union rules strengthen UK workers
A spokesperson for Meta said, “Employees who want to find out more about union membership have a straightforward way to do so. Meta's industrial relations team already works with employee representative groups in multiple markets, and we are approaching this in the same way.”
Initial trade union reforms as part of the Employment Rights Act 2025 took effect in February of this year. But subsequent reforms, due to take effect on 30 October, add additional requirements for employers to inform workers of their right to join a union, provide greater access for unions to workplaces, add additional protections for union representatives, and give workers greater protections when taking industrial action.
Meta is therefore providing Prospect with access to Meta employees ahead of the deadline, which Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said “is to Meta’s credit that they have struck this voluntary deal with Prospect, rather than waiting for the new Right of Access to kick in, sending a positive message to staff that they are open to engaging with a union.”
Prospect currently has over 160,000 UK workers within its membership pool, covering technology, broadcasting, creative industries, defense and education.
The beginnings of a UK union bounce back?
According to official statistics from the UK Department for Business & Trade, union membership has been on a steady decline. In 1995, 28.8% of those in employment belonged to a union. But by 2025, this number has reached a historic low of just 19.9%.
Ahead of the reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Bill, union membership as a percentage of those in employment rose to 20.4% in 2025, potentially being bolstered ahead of the Bill’s formal introduction.
There are a number of reasons for the steady decline in union membership - some good, and some bad. The UK economy shifting away from industrial industries that traditionally held union-heavy employment is one of the most significant factors.
But Anti-union legislation introduced under Margaret Thatcher’s premiership during the 1990s also weakened the power of unions significantly. Unions lost legal protections against strikes, outlawed sympathy strikes, and introduced mandatory secret votes on union leadership ahead of strike action.
New rules introduced as part of employment protections and regulations - such as the minimum wage introduced in 1998 - have also reduced the need for unions to negotiate fair pay or organise industrial action in events of extreme unfairness.
Looking forward, the rapid introduction of AI to UK industries and the fear of job displacement are also likely fueling union membership in the UK.
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