By Victor Ahiuma-Yo
The International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC, has raised alarm over the growing risks of unregulated artificial intelligence, AI, in the workplace, warning that the technology could deepen inequality, undermine workers’ rights, and worsen job insecurity if trade unions are excluded from its governance and deployment.
In a new report titled Artificial Intelligence: What Are the Implications for Trade Unions?, the ITUC called for urgent action to ensure that the rollout of AI is accompanied by strong labour protections and the active involvement of workers and their unions.
The report, which compiles global research on the effects of AI on job quality, fundamental labour rights, and social welfare, cautioned that algorithmic management systems are increasingly being used to determine work schedules, pay, and even dismissals—often without transparency, accountability, or worker consultation.
According to the ITUC, while AI is often promoted as a tool for efficiency and productivity, evidence shows that the promised gains are frequently overstated, while the negative impacts on job security, stress, and privacy continue to grow. It further noted that the rise of automated systems is accelerating job fragmentation and intensification, particularly affecting low-skilled and female workers, who are most vulnerable to the risks of automation.
The report also warned that AI development is creating a shadow workforce—comprising poorly paid and precarious workers, especially in the Global South—who are engaged in training and maintaining these technologies under harsh conditions.
Despite these challenges, trade unions across the world are beginning to take proactive steps. The report cited several examples, including collective bargaining agreements in Europe with Just Eat/Takeaway, sectoral standards introduced by the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, FPRK, and the “African Tech Workers Rising” initiative that is mobilising digital workers across the continent.
The ITUC emphasised that governments, employers, and international institutions must ensure that workers’ voices are not sidelined in the AI-driven transformation of work.
Speaking, ITUC General Secretary, Luc Triangle, said “The rapid development and deployment of AI must be accompanied by sufficient regulation, with workers included in this process.
“The ITUC demands that all governments, employers, and international institutions ensure that workers and their unions play a central role in shaping the AI-driven future of work. By ensuring that trade unions can actively engage in the digital transformation, we can create a just future of work.”
The global labour body urged stronger enforcement of labour and anti-discrimination laws and renewed commitments to union rights in the digital era, stressing that only through inclusive regulation can the world achieve an equitable and sustainable digital future.
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