Composing motions 61 and 62 plus amendments
Congress notes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing society and the world of work, transforming workplaces across every sector, including financial services, where it is increasingly used in customer service, recruitment, lending, compliance, performance management and workforce planning. The UK is a global leader in AI, yet government policy has failed to keep pace with the deployment of these technologies in workplaces. AI is too often introduced without meaningful worker involvement, with the benefits flowing to big tech while the harms are borne by working people.
While AI can improve productivity and services and potentially eliminate drudgery for some workers, it also risks deskilling, job displacement, increased surveillance, work intensification, exploitation, and widening inequality if introduced without worker involvement.
Entry level and administrative roles – often the starting point for people beginning their careers – are particularly vulnerable to automation. These workers may be less technologically confident and not properly considered when change is being implemented.
Congress further notes that women workers remain disproportionately represented in many occupations. Poorly managed AI implementation therefore risks reinforcing existing inequalities unless equality is considered from the outset.
Congress believes AI should enhance workers, not replace them. AI must not be used as an excuse for unnecessary job displacements, offshoring, to weaken workers’ rights and concentrate economic power. Workers and their recognised trade unions must have a legal voice before AI is introduced to ensure any change is beneficial for employees.
This requires a strategy from government that places workers and the public interest at its heart, backed by democratic oversight and accountability. A critical evaluation of the use of AI and its impact on the fundamental human skill set necessary for learning is essential.
Congress, therefore, calls on the government to:
i. introduce a new national AI plan that places workers’ rights and public safety on an equal footing with economic growth and national security, while resisting undue influence from the big tech lobby
ii. provide national and regional leadership on AI, with trade unions embedded in decision-making and investment strategies to ensure technological change benefits society as a whole
iii. deliver worker-first AI policies alongside procurement rules that attach strong labour standards to public investment, and procurement that embeds worker voice and avoids big tech lock-in.
iv. lead by example in public sector digitalisation, with a statutory duty on public bodies to disclose AI use and consult trade unions before deployment, and proper training for all staff
v. create a new regulatory framework, alongside stronger statutory powers of enforcement by the Fair Work Agency, to hold employers and technology companies accountable.
vi. ensure the introduction of new digital tools align with an education system that champions creativity and professional autonomy for educators.
Congress calls on the General Council to:
a. campaign for legislation requiring employers to engage, consult and negotiate with recognised trade unions before implementing AI that affects jobs, terms and conditions or ways of working, and embed employee training and upskilling into their strategy
b. lobby for mandatory workforce and equality impact assessments
c. promote protections for apprenticeships and entry level opportunities
d. develop model collective bargaining agreements to ensure AI delivers a just transition that benefits workers and society alike.
Mover: Communication Workers Union
Seconder: Aegis
Supported by: UNISON; National Education Union; Union of Shop, Distributive
and Allied Workers