Content moderators launch first-ever global alliance, demand safe working conditions and accountability from tech giants

Content moderators, who shield billions of social media users from harmful and traumatic material, have formed the first-ever global trade union alliance to fight for living wages, safe working conditions and union representation in their industry. The Global Trade Union Alliance of Content Moderators, launched today in Nairobi, Kenya, at an inaugural gathering of workers from nine countries, will hold Big Tech responsible for the low-wage, high-trauma jobs in their value chains.

Alphabet, Meta, TikTok and others outsource content moderation on their platforms to companies such as Accenture and Telus. Every day, these contracted moderators flag a mix of violent videos, hate speech and child-abuse imagery – but the work exacts enormous personal costs.

A staggering number of moderators experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation and severe mental health consequences because of this exposure to graphic content, often without adequate support or breaks. Unrealistic “seconds-per-video” performance targets and rolling short-term contracts pile extra stress on a workforce already facing trauma.

“The pressure to review thousands of horrific videos each day – beheadings, child abuse, torture – takes a devastating toll on our mental health, but it’s not the only source of strain. Precarious contracts and constant surveillance at work add more stress. I’ve seen coworkers cry before coming to work – not just because of the content they’ll see, but because they feared another quality audit that could cost them their contract or their bonus,” said Michał Szmagaj, a former content moderator for Meta who is now helping workers form a union in Poland.

He continued, “The graphic nature of this work grabs headlines, but it also highlights that content moderators deserve pay that reflects the skill and importance of the job. We need stable employment, fair treatment and real access to mental health support during work hours.”

Working in “what a 21^st century hazardous job looks like,” many moderators report retaliation when they organize or speak out to improve their conditions.

“The content we see doesn’t just disappear at the end of a shift. It haunts our sleep and leaves permanent emotional scars,” said Özlem, a Telus worker from Türkiye, who asked UNI to use a pseudonym out of fear of retaliation. “When we raise it with our managers, they say these are the conditions TikTok, the client, requires. When we stand up for better conditions at our jobs, our coworkers get fired. We know we have to stand together across employers, across clients and across national borders to get the change we deserve.”

Earlier this year, Canadian multinational Telus fired union activists who worked as moderators for TikTok as part of a vicious union busting campaign at its operations in Turkiye.

Unfortunately, the experience of Telus workers is not an isolated occurrence and underscores the need for international action. The alliance will coordinate collective campaigns, conduct research on occupational health and safety and provide a global platform to bargain with tech companies and their contractors.

“Companies like Facebook and TikTok can’t keep hiding behind outsourcing to duck responsibility for the harm they help create,” said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union. “This work can – and must – be safer and sustainable. That means living wages, long-term employment contracts, humane production standards and a real voice for workers. It’s time for Big Tech and their contractors to sit down with unions and get serious about change.”

“Kenya has become a global hub for global moderation, and we welcome investors to Kenya to invest in this sector, but it must not be against the health of workers in this country,” said Benson Okwaro, the General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union of Kenya (COWU). “That is why we are organizing on the ground and alongside unions worldwide. Together we are sending clear message to investors in this sector, including Meta, Tik Tok, Alphabet and Amazon that moderators everywhere will no longer stay silent while platforms make profit from their pain.”

COWU is currently supporting tech supply chain workers organizing in Kenya.

The gathering of content moderators was supported by FES.