Sacked TikTok workers in UK launch legal action over ‘union busting’ | TikTok
TikTok moderators have accused the social media company of union-busting after firing hundreds of workers in the UK and starting the process just before a vote to form a union was held.
The moderators wanted to set up a collective bargaining unit to protect themselves from the personal costs of moderating extreme and violent content, and claimed TikTok was guilty of unfair dismissal and violating union laws.
Nearly 400 moderators in London were fired before Christmas, in a process launched a week before the vote was due to take place.
TikTok, which has around 30 million monthly users in Britain, vehemently denies the legal claim brought to the employment tribunal on behalf of three former workers, describing it as “unfounded”.
The removals are part of a global restructuring that includes roles in the UK and south and south-east Asia, with 91% of violating content now automatically removed, it said, at a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to automate the removal of posts that breach content rules.
But John Chadfield, national officer for tech workers at the Communications Workers Union, which represents about 250 of the affected moderators, said of the legal action: “This amounts to holding TikTok accountable for union busting.”
He added: “Content moderators do the most dangerous job on the internet. They’re exposed to child sex abuse material, executions, war and drug use. Their job is to make sure this content doesn’t reach TikTok’s 30 million monthly users. It’s high pressure and low pay. They wanted input into their workflows and a greater say in how they keep the platform safe. They said they were being asked to do too much with too few resources.”
A TikTok spokesperson said: “These changes were part of a broader global restructuring as we evolve our global operating model for trust and security, aided by technological advancements, to continue maximizing the security of our users.”
The dispute began in August 2025, when the union was preparing to vote out several hundred TikTok moderators and quality assurance representatives from the trust and safety team, whose job it is to review posts for compliance with TikTok rules, including traumatic posts processed at high speed. According to the legal claim, TikTok announced a restructuring effort that puts members of the proposed bargaining unit at risk of termination.
Rosa Curling, co-executive director of Foxglove, a nonprofit tech justice organization that supported the action, called TikTok’s treatment of content moderators “appalling.”
He said they were “putting the platform’s users at risk by firing essential security workers” and added: “TikTok has made its position clear: busting unions and breaking our labor laws comes first; the safety of its users, including millions of children, and the welfare of essential security workers come last. We hope the employment tribunal will force them to change course.”
Increased use of artificial intelligence reduced moderators’ exposure to graphic content by 76% last year, according to TikTok.
Michael Newman, a partner at law firm Leigh Day, said: “This case is an important example of how individuals coming together can challenge the power of big tech firms and, in particular, how the fig leaf from AI cost savings must not be allowed to overshadow vital security concerns.”
