YouTubers In Europe Are Unionizing In A Bid For Greater Transparency

Every now and then, videos that are uploaded are taken down and sometimes channels are even temporarily suspended. This is due to alleged violations of YouTube’s policies which are understandable, although given that YouTube doesn’t always communicate this clearly to those in violation have left many creators disgruntled about the way the company handles such situations.

However, things could soon be changing because over in Europe, YouTubers are unionizing by joining one of Europe’s largest unions, IG Metall. In the past, YouTubers have attempted to unionize, but they were never quite big enough to give them enough leverage over the platform, but by joining IG Metall, they might stand a chance.

Speaking to Motherboard, the leader of the YouTubers Union, Jörg Sprave said, “We aren’t demanding things that cut into profits or are unrealistic. We want fairness. We want transparency. We want to be treated like partners. And we want personal communication instead of anonymous communication.”

So far, the campaign to unionize seems to be off to a great start. According to Sprave, he claims that ever since the FairTube campaign was launched, they have managed to get 1,200 new members into the YouTubers Union. Whether or not this will result in positive changes for creators remains to be seen.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Legal, YouTube