United in the fight for fair AI

This week, ETUC’s mid-term congress took place in Belgrade, bringing unions from across the continent (and further afield) together to discuss the actions needed to deliver a fair deal for workers in the coming years.

Across two days of discussions, activities and debates, two issues stood out amongst the interventions from colleagues; the need for action against psychosocial risks, and a directive on algorithmic management.

In her intervention, Eurocadres President Nayla Glaise outlined how the advantages of digitalisation, like the promises of economic growth, have failed to trickle down to workers. Obsessions over productivity and endless growth are hallmarks of Europe’s economy, and nowhere is this seen clearer than in AI.

“As a movement, we need to make sure that AI is at the service of workers and citizens given that four out of five European workplaces are introducing AI systems aimed at management … We need to safeguard from AI’s misinformation machinery, its environmental destruction, and its security gaps”.

It is not only trade unionists calling for action. Aside from experts and the political families most amenable to our efforts, the EPP are now convinced action must be taken.

Having met with the EPP’s rapporteur for an upcoming report on algorithmic management, Andrzej Buła, the consensus amongst the political spectrum is quite clear:

“We should dictate our working world, not an algorithm”

Aside from a number of discussions and interventions based on this topic and the need for European action, our fringe event on this topic also outlined the scale of the challenge ahead, the content needed to protect workers, along with the steps we can take to deliver a European directive.

Joined by ETUC Deputy General Secretary Isabelle Schömann, the content of Eurocadres’ advocacy activities were a prominent part of discussions, identifying the arguments in relation to AI where the societal, financial, environmental and ethical issues we all commonly face, and strategising on the delivery of these points to political actors.

The event also saw us introduce our AI toolkit, developed as part of our project work with AEQUITAS, to a larger audience of workers’ representatives. Through this project, Eurocadres' own Ilkka Pentinnen Fouto presented the metrics and tools developed over the last number of years, fielding questions on how these complex solutions can be implemented in workplaces throughout the EU.

As the fight for fair AI usage continually intensifies, Belgrade provided a clear sign that the trade union movement is united in our goal to deliver a European directive on algorithmic management.