Received from: Aegis, Community
Comprising Motions 63 and 66 plus amendment
Congress acknowledges the transformative impact of AI in the workplace, and the opportunities that it presents for innovation and efficiency in finance and other sectors. However, as AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives, we must harness its benefits whilst ensuring responsible use and safeguarding the interests of the workforce.
Conference notes the rapid integration of AI and automation in the finance sector – used in algorithmic trading, customer support, compliance, and back-office functions – with 75 per cent of firms already deploying AI and another 10 per cent planning adoption in the next three years.
Conference further acknowledges that a 2017 Opimas study estimated around 230,000 global finance sector jobs could be automated by 2025, particularly in asset management and junior analyst roles. Meanwhile, the Tony Blair Institute projects that one to three million UK private sector jobs may be displaced by AI over coming decades, with roughly 60,000–275,000 jobs lost annually at peak, predominantly in banking, finance, administrative and customer-facing roles.
Congress recognises the importance of preparing workers for the challenges and opportunities AI presents. Accessible training and retraining programmes delivered during working hours, as well as maintaining transparency around the use of AI in work, are vital to ensure employees can adapt to technological change, without fear of AI undercutting jobs.
Congress believes that AI should enhance work – not replace it. Conference believes AI must not be a threat to workers. It risks economic inequality, job degradation, and weakening of collective bargaining unless managed properly. We must ensure that AI is used to free up staff time, increase productivity and maintain high-quality employment, rather than undermine job security.
Congress, therefore, calls on the TUC to:
i. work with employers to ensure that AI does not limit entryways for young people into employment and that apprenticeships incorporate AI to prepare workers for the future
ii. encourage employers to offer retraining opportunities on AI and new technologies, to ensure that workers can fully engage with the changing modern workplace
iii. call for companies to adopt responsible AI policies, ensuring that new technologies are not used for undue surveillance activity or to impinge upon workplace protections
iv. lobby the government to ensure that employers are required to undertake, and act upon the findings of, equality impact assessments before implementing AI
v. lobby the government to work in partnership with unions and employers to develop frameworks for responsible AI use, ensuring workers’ voices are heard and their rights safeguarded. This must include strong protections against the use of algorithmic management decisions throughout recruitment and employment processes
vi. lobby government for robust AI regulation in financial services, with mandatory employment impact assessments and oversight of job losses
vii. insist on union consultation before AI implementation in workplaces
viii. develop a just transition framework, including job security, retraining programmes, redeployment plans, and sector-specific upskilling
ix. secure representation for unions on AI ethics and governance bodies within the finance industry
x. equip finance-sector union reps with AI literacy and negotiating capacity.
Conference resolves to work with affiliates, regulators, and employers to safeguard jobs, defend workers’ rights, and ensure AI-driven change benefits all, not just shareholders.
Mover: Community
Seconder: Aegis
Supporter: Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers