Octopus Energy is facing a union recognition battle as it grows from challenger brand into Britain’s biggest household energy supplier.
The Financial Times reported that GMB is preparing to submit a formal proposal for voluntary recognition at the London-based company, following concerns over workloads, training and worker representation.
The move follows a collective grievance lodged last year by installers working on heat pumps and electric vehicle charge points through Octopus Energy Services.
Tony Tanushi, GMB Regional Energy Officer, told the FT that management had shown “no appetite” for unionisation and said the union was prepared to take the case to arbitration if a voluntary agreement failed.
He said Octopus should match standards seen at rival companies if it wanted to maintain its image as a progressive employer.
GMB says it is confident it has enough backing among workers to meet the threshold for recognition, although it has not disclosed membership numbers.
Octopus argues that a formal union structure is unnecessary because employees own shares in the business, making it less of a traditional “them and us” company.
It also points to its record as a highly rated employer and has criticised major energy unions for backing nationalisation and opposing the rapid rollout of heat pumps, one of the areas where Octopus has expanded heavily.
The company inherited union recognition agreements when it bought Co-op Energy in 2019 but says workers later voted to end them.
Founder and Chief Executive Greg Jackson has said he is not anti-union but does not believe unions are needed at Octopus, where every employee has a stake in the company.
The dispute marks a test of Octopus’s challenger image as it becomes a much larger and more conventional employer.
Founded in 2015, the group has expanded rapidly, overtook British Gas as the UK’s largest household supplier in 2025 and has built a major workforce around smart technology, heat pumps and EV charging.
The GMB push suggests that as Octopus grows, questions over labour rights, representation and workplace standards are moving closer to the centre of its business model.
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