Glasgow Apple store workers become first to unionize in the UK

Glasgow Apple store workers have secured official union recognition and become the first to unionize in the UK.

John Slaven, the organizer of the GMB union said that the union recognition is a compelling new chapter written around the world in the trade-union story. The first Apple retail union in the US was formed earlier this year by the workers in the Maryland branch. Previously, Glasgow's Buchanan Street Apple store staff said that the union recognition would be used to bid for higher wages.

According to Apple, it is one of the highest-paying retailers in Scotland and they have regularly made enhancements to their industry-leading benefits as a part of the overall support they provide to the team members. But in June, after filing for voluntary union recognition and joining the GMB, workers at the store said that they earned about £12 an hour. Workers said that they are suffering from a cost of living crisis and need a pay rise, transparency, and a voice.

Amid increased unionization efforts from workers worldwide at technology giants such as Amazon, Alphabet, and Activision Blizzard, this move came. Last month, after a strike ballot fell three votes short of a 50% threshold, Keir Starmer, a labor leader urged Amazon to officially recognize GMB workers.