Digital Technologies and Job Quality: Do Trade Unions Make a Difference? by Caroline Lloyd and Jonathan Payne
This webinar will present findings from a major comparative study on how trade unions in the UK and Norway are navigating digitalisation across key sectors and workplaces.
This webinar will discuss findings from a two-year Leverhulme-funded research project examining the role of trade unions in digitalisation in the UK and Norway. The countries are renowned for their starkly contrasting institutional environments, including supports for trade union organisation and collective bargaining. While it was expected that unions in Norway would have greater scope to influence initial digitalisation decisions, implementation and worker outcomes, the project considered whether there were differences across sectors and workplaces. The project draws on over 100 interviews with union officers and workplace reps in four sectors, focusing on lower/mid-level jobs: retail assistants in supermarkets; administrative and clerical workers in banking and hospitals; and production operatives in food and drink processing.
The research found that trade unions in Norway are better positioned to shape digitalisation for the benefit of workers than their counterparts in the UK. This reflects the strength of Norwegian unions and the institutional environment that is both more favourable to unions in general, and which provides important support to bolster unions’ role and influence in relation to digitisation. Despite the national picture, the research finds some important sector and workplace variation. The comparison of retail supermarkets, for example, identified more similarities than differences with unions in both countries finding it difficult to influence digitalisation. Moving forwards, the research indicates the value of unions continuing to pressurise for supportive legislation, specifically around data protection and rights to consultation over technology. It also underlines the importance of developing proactive union reps in the workplace and the role of training and education to enhance and exchange knowledge, and develop strategies, around dealing with current and future digital technologies in their sector.
Speakers
Caroline Lloyd
Professor of Work, Employment and Skills at De Montfort University, United Kingdom
Jonathan Payne
Professor of Work and Employment in the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, United Kingdom
Moderator
Uma Rani
Senior Economist, ILO Research Department