Apple store staff make history as first in UK to form union

Staff in Glasgow voted in an ACAS ballot to secure union representation, making them the first of Apple employees in the UK to do so.

Glasgow Apple store staff make history as first in UK to secure union recognition, say GMB — Glasgow retail staff with Apple now have union recognition, the GMB have announced. iStock

Tara Fitzpatrick

2nd Nov 2022

Staff at Glasgow’s Apple store have made history as the first employees of the tech giant in the UK to secure union recognition.

The GMB union announced the news and said retail employees secured a majority of two-thirds support for recognition in a statutory ballot from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Employees are set to gather outside the Buchanan Street store on Wednesday evening in celebration of the news.

Staff at the Buchanan Street store can now be represented by GMB Union

John Slaven, GMB Organiser, said: “This is an absolutely historic moment and testament to the hard work of the activists and workers in at the Buchanan Street store – it’s another compelling new chapter in the trade union story that’s being written across the world in Apple.

“The workforce has spoken in a loud and clear voice to achieve recognition, making the case that they are pro-worker and not anti-employer, and that trade unionism should be a normal and welcome feature of any workplace in any industry.”

An Apple spokesperson said: “We have long been committed to providing an excellent experience for our customers and teams.

“Apple is one of the highest paying retailers in Scotland and we’ve regularly made enhancements to our industry-leading benefits as a part of the overall support we provide to our valued team members.”