IMPACT was one of several trade unions that attended the Future of Workconference in Dublin last Friday (12th May). Employer bodies, state representatives and academics also took part in the conference, which looked at the challenges of a working world transformed by automation, artificial intelligence and emerging non-standard forms of employment.
The conference was hosted by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and was opened by minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD. There were a series of high quality presentations at the conference, which was addressed by the assistant director general of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Nicholas Niemtchinow.
Peter Cosgrove, director of the recruitment firm CPL, outlined how technology is disrupting the world of work, and how our assumptions about technology, brands and the organisations behind them are rapidly changing.
He said our relationship with the physical workplace was undergoing a radical transformation. Cosgrove argued that individual workers have the capacity to control the blurring of the lines between work and our personal lives.
Professor Michael Doherty of Maynooth University looked at the employment relationship and the law. Doherty looked at the emerging pressures to redefine the nature of employment relationships, how the definition of employees has been challenged by the so-called gig economy, and how the courts have responded.
Looking at the new world of work Professor Jeremias Prassl of Oxford University delivered a fascinating presentation on ‘Humans as a service’ in the context of the gig economy.
In an evenly weighted presentation, Prassl argued that the most optimistic and most pessimistic assessments of the effects of the gig economy are simultaneously true, as a form of ‘double speak’ characterises the way in which these new services – like Uber and Deliveroo – are presented.
Prassl concluded that ‘gigs, tasks, rides,’ etc, are work by definition and should be regulated as such. While the technology is new, it’s still dealing with old problems. He likened the gig economy to the organisation of piece work in the 19th century. He also outlined how the gig economy might stand in the way of innovation, as cheap labour is favoured by the tech companies over investment in better technology.
IMPACT was represented at the conference by deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan and lead organiser Joe O’Connor.
Kevin said the conference was a timely opportunity for government, unions and employers to examine the challenges that are effectively already upon us. “As one of the speakers said, the pace of change will never be as slow as it is now. It made me think that, while new forms of work have the potential to create great wealth, unions must convince workers that it is possible to achieve a more equal distribution of the wealth created and lead the fight to achieve this outcome.
“We need to be part of the conversation about these technological advances and to educate our members,” he said.
Joe added: “The rapid pace of change poses a major challenge for the trade union movement. We need to respond coherently to the disruptive wave of change, ensure a just and fair transition for workers, and future-proof the world of work for younger workers and the generations that will follow them.”
The conference programme is available here.
IMPACT is continuing to develop its research into the digitalisation of work, the gig economy, artificial intelligence, automation and a progressive model of Universal Basic Income (UBI). The union will be represented at the IDA’s workshop on The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Ireland which takes place on Wednesday (17th May).
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