Received from: TUC Black Workers Conference
Congress is concerned about the speed of automation in our industries with its major impact on black workers. Many sectors with a higher risk of automation are dominated by black workers including those in precarious employment. Therefore, Congress calls on the General Council and affiliates to fight the threat of automation by assessing the risks and organising a campaign for the job security, terms and conditions, health and safety, new skills and training of black workers, through considering the following:
In the short term:
i. assessing the threat of automation
ii. collecting information from reps to predict risk
iii. developing a risk register
iv. raising awareness among black members and reps
v. bargaining for job security
vi. signing new technology agreements.
In the long term:
a. safeguarding our unions by organising the lower risk sectors
b. building global union power.
Through changes in legislation:
1. shorter working time without loss of pay and job protection
2. strong flexible-working regulations
3. better retirement policies
4. jobs and/or salary guarantees based on production volumes or service delivery
5. wide-scale sector bargaining
6. research and development in sectors most able to get more secure and better jobs from automation
7. education and training in skills needed for the future, including quality apprenticeship schemes.
TUC Black Workers Conference