The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), BusinessEurope, the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services (CEEP) and SMEunited reached a partnership agreement on Monday 22 June on how to support the digital transition.
The agreement sets out a common process between employers' and workers' organisations which can be adapted to various industrial relations systems, and to national, local, sectoral and company situations, in a way that is flexible enough to keep pace with the development of digitisation and its impact on work and workers and, in general, on the functioning of an undertaking.
The agreement is structured around four major issues: - digital skills and job security; - the right to disconnect; - human-centred artificial intelligence; - respect for human dignity and the issue of surveillance.
These different themes will be dealt with according to: - work organisation (how tasks are distributed); - the content of the work (the influence of technology and digitisation) and the skills required; - working conditions (safety and physical and mental health); - labour relations between workers.
The agreement between social partners must now be implemented at national and sectoral level. However, the trade unions are hoping for legislation on the right to disconnect at a European level.
To consult the agreement: https://bit.ly/2YptFYV (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)