Microsoft workers, under the aegis of ICT Union, have signed a collective bargaining agreement with the company. The union first drafted a collective contract in 2025 and presented it to the company at the end of the year. The months of intense negotiations were demanding and required patience and preparation from both parties, but are already paying off. Employees have gained a number of well-deserved protections and benefits.
Among the provisions of the union contract are:
- A significant increase in the value of severance packages
- Pension contribution benefits
- Access to more communication channels for sharing union information
- Codified rules for communication between management and union representatives, including clearer deadlines for communication
- Including information about the union and union materials during onboarding and regular sessions for new employees to be delivered by union representatives
The collective contract also incorporates many rights from the current Labour Code, which grants protections against weakening of the Labour Code and informs employees who are not native Czech speakers of their existing rights.
The founding of the union organization at the Czech Microsoft branch was publicly announced in July 2024. Since then, the union has been here for all employees who need its help. They also cooperate with the company on improving working conditions. The union builds international connections through cooperation with unions in other countries and as a member of the Microsoft European Works Council.
We at ICT Union expect more than just an improvement in conditions at Microsoft from this contract. The way in which employees at Microsoft organized themselves and successfully negotiated better conditions is, in our view, a prime example of how things should work in the wider IT sector. This is not just about one company and one contract. This contract is proof that employees have the power to make change in their workplaces if they band together and negotiate collectively. We believe that this success can set a new standard not just at Microsoft, but in the entire Czech IT market. We aim to inspire workers at other companies to follow in their footsteps.
Organizing isn’t just a path forward at one company − it is the path forward for all!
- Email: support@ictunion.cz
- Phone: +420 775 319 271 (phone/Signal)