TikTok hit with second lawsuit over union member redundancies  

Their support included sharing union messages through TikTok’s internal platform Lark, wearing union merchandise in the office, changing profile pictures to union banners, attending rallies and sharing photos.

Lynda Ouazar, one of the claimants, said: “I gave TikTok my absolute best. I was a top performer in my team. 

“Not only that, I was our Corporate Social Responsibility champion, leading the London offices into the first position anywhere in the world for the number of volunteer events organised for TikTok in 2023. 

“Until that point, I was treated with respect and had never raised a grievance.

“But when I joined the union, everything changed with how TikTok treated me.”

Ouazar added: “Instead of being supported, recognised, or involved in solutions, I faced bullying, intimidation, harassment, and retaliation. 

“This didn’t only affect me but other union members as well. It created a culture of fear and concealment in the workplace. 

“They started to say I was problematic, underperforming, difficult to deal with.”

She said: “That’s affected not only my job security, but also my reputation and my mental health too. 

“But they only started to question my performance after I became active in the union.

“There are clear reasons workers need a union at TikTok.”

She added: “Employees face a chronic lack of mental health support despite the distressing nature of the work, extreme targets, salary irregularities and a workplace culture where speaking up carries serious negative consequences.

“TikTok dismissed me unfairly along with other union members purely because we were union members. 

“Our case seeks accountability and justice for the treatment of TikTok workers who speak up and organise. 

“We are determined to push for fair, lawful, and safe working conditions for every worker at TikTok.”

The case is supported by non-profit Foxglove and legal counsel Michael Newman of Leigh Day.

Stella Caram, head of legal at Foxglove, said: “TikTok’s company motto is: ‘inspire creativity and bring joy’. 

“On the evidence of the last two months, a better choice might be: ‘inspire union-busting and bring lawsuits.’

“Firing workers for supporting or taking part in trade union activity is against the law, no matter what kind of sham recruitment exercise you orchestrate which just-so-happens to result in all the union members losing their jobs.”

Caram added: “Originality has never been Big Tech’s strong suit, and in London, TikTok is aping Mark Zuckerberg’s union-busting playbook seen in Kenya and beyond. 

“You tell everyone you’re going to keep your platform safe with magical AI tools, then fire all your workers when they try to form a union and to intimidate everyone else. 

“We’re proud to be supporting these brave workers to take a stand against these disgraceful union-busting tactics.”

Eleanor Payne from UTAW said: “TikTok workers in London have been unionising for three years and aren’t about to stop.

“TikTok have once again been caught using unlawful redundancy in a futile attempt to stop workers unionising for a stronger voice at work.

“TikTok can play union-busting whack-a-mole all they like but, ultimately, it’s a losing game. UTAW members know that by sticking together they’ll win in the end.”

A spokesperson from TikTok said: “We strongly reject these baseless and inaccurate claims.”