Overview
- An open letter to Chi Onwurah, chair of the Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, calls for an inquiry into the proposed redundancies.
- Signatories include the TUC, the CWU, online safety experts and Ian Russell, who link job losses to greater risks for up to 30 million UK users, including children.
- The letter alleges TikTok plans to replace UK moderators with AI and lower-paid workers in countries such as Kenya and the Philippines, and accuses the company of union-busting by timing the cuts before a recognition vote.
- TikTok rejects the claims, describing a global reorganisation that concentrates operations in fewer locations and leans on technology, with about 85% of rule-breaking content removed by automation.
- The company says it has voluntarily engaged with the CWU and offered to continue talks after the redundancy consultation, and no parliamentary investigation has been announced.