DeepMind union talks hit friction at London kickoff

DeepMind unionization – Negotiations over union recognition between Google DeepMind and its London-based employees opened this week with union officers and staff feeling sidelined. Union representatives criticized the absence of senior leadership at the initial meeting, while DeepMin

The first minutes of the union negotiations at Google DeepMind didn’t feel like a start. For employees and union officers in London, the opening meeting this week played out more like a handoff to HR than a genuine conversation.

The talks are meant to explore whether DeepMind should recognize the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite the Union as joint representatives. In May, DeepMind employees had asked Google to recognize both groups. The company later denied that request, then agreed to participate in negotiations arbitrated by a third-party body.

On Wednesday, the meeting brought together union officers, DeepMind employees pushing for unionization, the third-party arbitrator, and DeepMind HR representatives. But the union side left frustrated that senior leadership from DeepMind did not attend.

John Chadfield, a CWU officer who attended the meeting, called the absence of senior management a warning sign. “Recognition talks not being attended by senior management at the opening stage is a leading indicator that a company isn’t engaging in good faith. It’s just a time-wasting exercise,” he said. He added that “Negotiations have stalled at an early stage.”.

DeepMind disputed that characterization. Al Verney. a Google DeepMind spokesperson. said the process is at an early stage and that next steps have already been agreed. “The first step in the process is to define who the unions want to represent and the parties agreed on next steps to do this. ” Verney said. “The appropriate representatives attended this initial meeting.”.

During the session, a DeepMind employee read out a prepared letter on behalf of colleagues who support unionization. The letter. reviewed by WIRED. argues that workers are being treated like a matter to be managed rather than a debate to be held with them directly. “Instead of having meaningful dialogue with its employees about our concerns. Google DeepMind workers have been treated as a problem handed off to HR. ” the letter states.

Multiple sources familiar with the meeting say DeepMind HR representatives interrupted the employee reading the statement on two occasions.

The letter also alleges that Google has tried to shut down open dialogue among DeepMind employees and limit dissent. It claims the company moved to shut down or reconfigure internal chat venues. and prevented staff from responding to company-wide communications about the unionization bid. Employees who tried to find a way around restrictions were “reprimanded,” the letter alleges.

A DeepMind employee involved in drafting the letter said the message was meant to capture what they felt in real time. “The intention was to intimidate. ” the employee said. adding. “These are well-established union-busting techniques.” The employee asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

DeepMind says it will continue engaging through the process. Verney said. “We’ll continue to engage constructively in the…process and have open dialogue with employees.” He added that for other issues. the company continues to offer “a variety of other channels and opportunities to discuss their views.”.

The union drive at DeepMind began in February 2025. It traces back to a change to Alphabet’s ethics guidelines: Google’s parent company removed a pledge not to use AI for purposes like weapons development and surveillance. WIRED previously reported that removal, and employees say it struck at the reason they joined the company.

“We basically just got rid of them all,” said a second DeepMind employee who supported unionization and asked to remain anonymous for the same reason.

The sequence of events this week has turned a negotiation process into a test of trust: workers say the opening meeting lacked the senior attention that recognition talks demand. while DeepMind frames the same moment as procedural—part of defining who unions want to represent. With both sides now publicly describing the other as out of step. the next stage of the talks will matter beyond the conference room. For employees who launched the push after February 2025’s ethics shift. this doesn’t just determine representation—it shapes whether the conversation they started will be heard on equal footing.

Google DeepMind unionization CWU Unite the Union labor negotiations London employees arbitration HR