Meta gives Prospect access to 5,000 UK staff ahead of October law change
Meta says the voluntary agreement covers its London sites, ahead of a 30 October statutory right that lets unions request access at any UK employer, with terms imposed on those with 21 or more workers if talks fail
- Meta employs about 5,000 people in the UK, according to Prospect’s 21 September release.
- Prospect says it represents more than 160,000 UK workers.
- The statutory right of access starts on 30 October 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.
- Employers get 15 working days to answer an access request and 25 working days to negotiate terms.
- The CAC cannot impose an access agreement on an employer with fewer than 21 workers.
One of the largest US tech employers choosing to negotiate access rather than wait for the statutory process signals that union presence in UK tech is starting to look normal. It also sets a reference point that staff elsewhere are likely to cite when a union asks. Tech leaders who have never dealt with a union should decide now who owns the response and what terms they could accept, because an agreed arrangement is likely to be easier to live with than one set by the CAC.
“Meta is a significant company in the UK tech sector and this agreement is an important step towards giving Meta workers a stronger voice at work.”Mike Clancy, general secretary, Prospect
Meta has agreed a voluntary access agreement with Prospect, giving the union the right to talk to the company’s roughly 5,000 UK employees about joining, the union announced on 21 September. Prospect calls it Meta’s first trade union access agreement in the UK.
Meta says the deal covers its London sites and that Prospect approached it earlier in 2026, and the company told ITPro, which reported the agreement on 21 September, that its industrial relations team already works with employee representative groups in other markets.
The law that follows
The agreement arrives ahead of a statutory right of access created by the Employment Rights Act 2025. Government guidance for employers, updated on 25 September, says the right starts on 30 October 2026, subject to parliamentary approval, and lets an independent union ask to reach workers in person or digitally. An employer has 15 working days to respond to a request and a further 25 working days to negotiate terms. If the two sides cannot agree, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) can decide whether access is granted, set the terms and fine an employer that does not comply. The CAC cannot impose an agreement on an employer with fewer than 21 workers.
Draft regulations setting out the process have been laid before Parliament with the same 30 October start date. By agreeing terms now, Meta has chosen the shape of its own arrangement rather than waiting for a union request under the new rules and its timetable.
Sources
- Prospect, “Prospect reaches access agreement with Meta”, news release, 21 September 2026. https://prospect.org.uk/news/prospect-reaches-access-agreement-with-meta
- ITPro, “Prospect union strikes deal with Meta to open up access to 5,000 UK staff”, Ross Kelly, 21 September 2026. https://www.itpro.com/business/policy-and-legislation/prospect-union-secures-deal-with-meta-to-open-up-access-to-5-000-uk-staff
- Department for Business and Trade, “Trade union reform”, employer guidance on business.gov.uk, updated 25 September 2026. https://www.business.gov.uk/campaign/employment-changes/employers/trade-union-reform/
- legislation.gov.uk, “The Trade Unions (Right to Access Workplaces) Regulations 2026”, draft statutory instrument laid before Parliament. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348285321
