Why the British Ad Industry Is Finally Set to Unionize

Up until now, the creative communications sector has not had a formalized trade union. But a group of advertising professionals in the U.K. is organizing a union for the industry at a time when they say the balance of power is shifting in favor of workers. The group is forming a new, dedicated trade union for creative communications workers across advertising, digital, PR, design, media and production. The creative communications group will be a unit within United Voices of the World (UVW), a grassroots union that formed in London in 2014 and now comprises about 5,000 members across eight different sectors, including architectural, legal, service and design and cultural workers. The union aims to tackle three main issues within the creative communications sector: pay, which group leaders say has been historically too low and inequitable across demographics; working conditions, which are typified by the prevalence of long hours and unpaid overtime, often leading to high levels of burnout; and diversity, equality and inclusion, which have long been lacking within the industry. They will also look to address issues affecting the many freelancers working in the sector, such as late payments and insecure work contracts. The union will look to represent not only front-facing employees, such as those in creative, strategy and client services departments, but also the industry’s behind-the-scenes or backroom functions, such as building services, cleaning and catering workers in agencies. Why unionize now? The group believes now is a crucial time to unionize the industry because the balance of power is shifting in favor of workers, said Sammi Ferhaoui, one of the union’s co-founders and account manager at ad agency Havas London. Many employers are struggling to fill roles and retain employees since the Covid-19 pandemic exposed certain working conditions, he added. “The core issues of low and unequal pay, long hours of unpaid overtime, and slow progress on DE&I issues have existed for a long time in our sector, but an unequal balance of power in favor of employers has meant that workers have lacked the capacity to affect meaningful change,” Ferhaoui told Adweek. “The Great Resignation, and the ensuing shift in the balance of power in favor of workers, gives us a unique collective opportunity to create lasting change, improving standards of pay and work-life balance, and ensuring that people of all backgrounds can thrive. We strongly believe that grassroots, independent collective action through the medium of unionization is the best way to achieve these aims.” Cyril Adjei, a solicitor at the U.K. law firm Old Square Chambers, said now may also be a good time for the industry to unionize because general attitudes towards unions are becoming more positive. “The media and communications sector is known for its churn, so there has been a concern that if you rock the boat—such as by joining a union—you will be less attractive in a new place,” he explained. “That feeling is less prevalent now. There’s a whole group of people who have not been unionized who are thinking of doing it and it’s seen as being a positive. It’s become fashionable again [to join a union].” That attitude can be seen in the results of a survey of creative communications workers conducted on social media in summer 2020 by freelance strategy director Thom Binding, who is part of the new union. When asked about their views on unionizing the industry, 96% of about 400 respondents were in favor of it. A few factors have contributed to the historic lack of a union within the creative communications sector, Adjei observed. First, there has been a “high prevalence of relatively young people coming into those industries, who in exchange for suboptimal work conditions are promised great riches in the future based on individual success,” he said. “It’s a career structure based on an individualistic approach to success rather than the collective securing of acceptable terms and conditions.” Additionally, the industry has also seen a lack of transparency around pay conditions, as well as a large number of freelance workers, who have not been traditionally represented by unions. Newer unions, such as UVW, are focusing more on “the people who have traditionally not been the ones you would protect,” such as freelancers and service workers, Adjei said. Power in numbers The creative communications union said its first priority will be to recruit new members. Having many people in the union will be crucial to gaining negotiating power with employers in the industry, Adjei explained. “It’s for the employer to decide whether it’s going to engage with the union—that’s the major issue for most unions. The big factor for an employer will be numbers. There’s no point recognizing a union that only represents a tiny fraction of the workforce,” he said. “Having more people join the union gives the union more of a chance of saying to an employer, 'negotiate with us because we represent your workforce.'" In the longer term, the creative communications union will look to build a presence in key workplaces and launch tactical campaigns addressing the issues that are affecting workers. “If the union gains a footprint in larger agencies and successfully negotiates with them, they can approach other, smaller agencies on issues such as pay and say this is what the rest of the industry is doing,” Adjei added. As Burnout Grips Agency Parents, They're Desperate for Help From Their Leaders

The Future of Agencies

Why the British Ad Industry Is Finally Set to Unionize

A new union of creative communications workers could have significant implications for the sector's future

Brittaney Kiefer

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Brittaney Kiefer