Home topics news via pexels News News Creative, media workers get protections as Microsoft backs union partnership on AI Yajush Gupta January 16, 2026 Microsoft just made a historic commitment to let unions shape AI development in Australian workplaces. Here’s why this deal matters for your job security and future. What’s Happening : Microsoft Australia has signed a historic agreement with the Australian Council of Trade Unions that gives workers and unions a formal say in how AI systems are designed and used in Australian workplaces. Why This Matters : With artificial intelligence reshaping workplaces at extraordinary pace, securing worker voices now determines whether the technology creates better jobs or displaces existing ones. Microsoft Australia has signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding and Framework Agreement with the Australian Council of Trade Unions that establishes new benchmarks for worker rights in the technology sector. The MOU, also signed by the Australian Services Union, Professionals Australia and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, represents a significant departure from how global technology companies have traditionally operated in Australia. For the first time, a major global tech firm has formally committed to recognising workers’ rights to join and be represented by their union and affirmed the rights of workplace delegates to fulfil their representative functions. “Microsoft Australia’s commitments to recognise the fundamental workplace rights of its workers and engage meaningfully with their unions is a first for global technology companies operating in Australia,” said Joseph Mitchell, ACTU Assistant Secretary. “This represents a genuine