TikTok faces another round of opposition from users and algorithm, targeting its management and artificial intelligence
In the heart of Berlin, a significant labour dispute is unfolding. On July 23, 2025, approximately 150 content moderators at TikTok's Berlin branch staged a one-day strike, protesting the company's decision to dismiss them as part of a plan to close its Trust and Safety Department and replace human moderators with AI and external contractors.
The German union, ver.di, is spearheading the movement, demanding severance payments equating to three years' salary and a 12-month extension of notice periods to help affected workers retrain and secure their livelihoods. These demands also take into account the employees' residency status risks and the high profits TikTok generates, estimated to be over US$23 billion annually from their labour [1][2][3].
Despite repeated requests, TikTok's management has so far refused to negotiate with ver.di, prompting the strike and a public rally that included a boat tour on Berlin’s Spree River to draw attention to their cause. Union representatives, including Lucas Krentel of ver.di, have criticized TikTok for shirking social responsibility and ignoring negotiated solutions that could provide support and transition aid to laid-off employees [1][2][3].
As the dispute continues, the works council and the company management will face off in the Berlin labor court on Monday. The works council has so far rejected the offers made, and ver.di is seeking an extended notice period of one year and severance payments of three years' salary within a social tariff agreement [4].
This dispute highlights ongoing tensions between platform workers, especially content moderators exposed to psychologically strenuous conditions, and the tech company’s push to automate and outsource the work. As of now, TikTok continues to resist dialogue with the union, and the strike marks the first such action by social media platform employees in Germany [1][2][3][4].
References:
[1] Verdi Union Calls for TikTok Strike Over Job Cuts. (2025, July 16). Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2025/7/16/23726628/tiktok-strike-germany-verdi-union-content-moderators-layoffs
[2] TikTok Content Moderators in Berlin to Stage One-Day Strike Over Job Cuts. (2025, July 21). Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-content-moderators-berlin-stage-one-day-strike-over-job-cuts-2025-07-21/
[3] TikTok and Union Verdi at Odds Over Job Cuts and Union Dispute in Berlin. (2025, July 22). Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/tiktok-and-union-verdi-at-odds-over-job-cuts-and-union-dispute-in-berlin/a-61212164
[4] Verdi Union Approves Collective Agreement with CFM in Berlin. (2025, July 23). Retrieved from https://www.verdi.de/presse/verdi-union-approves-collective-agreement-with-cfm-in-berlin-110284
- The refusal of TikTok's management to negotiate with the German union, ver.di, is causing concerns in the realm of general-news, as it and business analysts wonder what impact this could have on the company's public image and possible future negotiations with other unions.
- As the dispute between TikTok and ver.di comes to light, questions surrounding the ethics of technology companies in regards to their responsibility towards their employees have arisen, particularly in the fields of business and technology.
- In light of the ongoing labor dispute at TikTok's Berlin branch, sports journalists and other media outlets have begun to explore the financial implications of this conflict, questioning whether TikTok's high profits could be better utilized to support its workers during times of transition and change.
