Your Questions, Answered. Part 2.

September 6, 2026

In our last webinar, we had a number of questions we didn't get to answer live. Here are the remainders.

The scope of the agreement is narrow, how can recognition affect our broader compensation and conditions? #

While the recognition agreement only requires negotiation on base pay, you would absolutely consider what's happened to our other benefits when it comes time to negotiate. So if, for example, there's a large change to share schemes or bonuses, that would absolutely influence what you and your colleagues expect when it comes to pay.

And for other topics, just because negotiation is only required in certain areas, doesn't mean that Skyscanner leadership isn't allowed to listen to employees, even if those employees are union members or reps.

In the event of yes, we have rep elections and AGMs. What does the ongoing engagement from non-reps (or non-union) staff look like - e.g. forums, clinics, etc? #

We get to decide this together at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Usually there are:

• General meetings for all members
• Surveys
• Sometimes meetings set up in particular teams/ departments that can be less formal but give opportunities to check in. This can be helpful because sometimes people feel they are experiencing something individually that reps will pick up on when speaking to several people and they can see that it may be collective or let people know about available support.
• A named rep around that you can speak to

Is it normal to vote with an agreement? a friend's workplace tried to unionise but they only voted on the union / the agreement wasn't defined #

No, it’s very unusual. Because voluntary agreements are flexible and tend to change over time, it’s more normal to vote on the principle of collective bargaining and then define the scope of the agreement after. Skyscanner leadership suggested negotiating the agreement first, and your negotiators agreed.

As a current union member, I want to help push for a better workplace but worry about potential management repercussions. am I legally protected? #

Yes! You are legally protected. Your opportunities to push for a better workplace increase significantly with a recognised union. Things like access to your colleagues, time for union activities, and a formal way of consulting with Skyscanner leadership on issues you care about become much easier with recognition.

Is tech’s low union representation maybe because most are already well paid with good working conditions, benefits and cultures? What other bars will you raise? #

Great question! While it’s impossible to know for sure, there could be a number of factors at play, including the average age of workers skewing younger and low knowledge about unions, as well as the makeup of the sector (lots of small start ups with too few employees, lots of big multinationals that would need to reach thousands of employees to get organising a union going, lots of new companies). Other industries with good working conditions, benefits, and cultures have better rates of unionisation.

I'm currently a level I, but am hoping for promotion to level J (so would fall out of the bargaining group). Isn't joining against my interests? #

No! A union will not harm your J+ colleagues, and it may well help your path towards promotion.

Your colleagues routinely discuss how advancement and promotions work at Skyscanner. Your colleagues are aware of a pattern where people are asked to perform the duties of a higher level without commensurate pay or guarantees of receiving a promotion. A recognised union gives us the potential to advocate together for a fairer, more transparent, and equitable promotion process for all.

If you do receive a promotion, you can still be a union member, and you can talk to your J+ colleagues about forming their own bargaining group. Our dream is that every worker at Skyscanner has a recognised union.

To the current reps, when you approached Skyscanner about recognition, is their current response what you expected? any surprises? #

Your reps see it as a positive sign that Skyscanner leadership agreed to voluntary recognition, and agreed a democratic process for ratifying collective bargaining.

It gives us hope for the productive and collaborative relationship we think we can have in future.

Will love unions week let us join the sector for free on a free trial? #

Every year there are membership offers for new members. Love Unions week and Reps Fortnight tend to include a 3 month free membership offer when they run.

Given the members are spread across London and Scottish offices would collective bargaining of improving just Scottish (given we're paid less) pay be in scope? #

There are many unions that bargain for pay and represent workers in multiple locations. Local conditions absolutely affect what members tend to care about and could impact pay deals as well. But more than anything, it’s what members want that dictates what the union negotiates for. If you and your colleagues wanted to improve pay in Scotland, that’s absolutely something you could negotiate for.

What's your favourite thing about working at Skyscanner and how would a 'yes' vote impact this? #

From one of your reps: Ashley

My favorite thing about working at Skyscanner is the people. I’ve worked with great people at every company I’ve been at and Skyscanner is no different. There are great people everywhere.

What usually gets in the way of great people are systems that seem unchangeable but actually are changeable. I’m excited to be in the UK where we can make positive change together with a union, and change the systems that tend to get in the way of all the great people who I get to work with.

Can you please give us a bit more context about the moving the business to another country/china question thats already been asked? #

There’s really no need to worry about this. The context was that someone asked why it might sometimes be worth not seeking unionisation and I answered that with a very hostile employer that was able and likely to shut down UK operations and move abroad I would proceed with caution if at all. That’s not the situation at Skyscanner.

Does everyone get a vote on who will be a rep going forward, or just those who are willing to pay monthly? #

Union members get to vote for reps and get to take an active role in the union. Everyone can become a member and ideally, everyone in the bargaining group would become a member.

are there any current reps who are in Product? #

There aren’t yet. All our current reps are volunteers and regardless of the outcome of the ballot, we’d love more reps.

Anyone who’s a member can volunteer to be a rep, and if we’re recognised, anyone who’s a member can run for election.

All your current reps expect the representatives to change as a result of this process.

I find myself going back and forth based on who I talk to. It comes down to trust, and I trust the reps but not Prospect. Why should we trust? #

Your union is your colleagues. You work with your colleagues every day and know them very well. If you trust your colleagues, you should trust the union.

Being a branch in Prospect also gives us the power to change Prospect. Prospect itself is a democracy and is governed by its branches, so we can change, together, the things that lead to any doubts you may have.

If you trust anything though, you should trust that a democratic structure within the UK legal framework for unions gives you far more influence, transparency, and rights than you have alone.

Recognition comes with guaranteed negotiations about topics you care about, information sharing and transparency requirements, obligations for the union and for Skyscanner leadership, and real consequences for both if these aren’t upheld.

You don’t need to just trust in this instance. Recognition means both your union and Skyscanner leadership are bound by the terms of the agreement and relevant law, including potential consequences for breaches.