Unions must be adaptive and creative.
With this reality, the role of the Trade Union (TU) becomes more important than ever to protect the rights, promote the development of workers and ensure a fair and humane labor market.
At the Executive Committee meeting of the Industrial and Manufacturing Trade Unions Worldwide (IndustriALL) held in Turkey at the end of November, union leaders from around the world analyzed current trends and proposed many measures to protect workers, as well as create conditions for workers to develop strongly, from training to improve skills, to promoting social dialogue, ensuring fair distribution of benefits. Union organizations must also adapt and innovate to overcome the challenges posed by AI. AI is expected to cause more jobs to disappear than to create in the near future.
There is huge potential for business to benefit from AI, with predicted increases in productivity and corporate profits. However, 23% of jobs could change, leading to a loss of 14 million jobs. Employers and unions are encouraged to engage in open dialogue to build trust and collaboration to ensure a just transition in the age of AI.
One of the top priorities for trade unions is to train and develop the skills of their employees. Trade unions can organize continuous training programs to improve the technological capabilities of their members. These courses are not limited to familiarizing themselves with new technologies such as programming techniques, data analysis or operating automation systems, but also extend to essential soft skills such as time management, problem solving and teamwork in a digital environment.
Not only stopping at protecting the personal rights of workers, the Union also needs to promote social dialogue to shape policies and legal frameworks related to AI.
By participating in policy discussions with businesses and governments, unions can support the development of regulations that balance the interests of all parties, and advocate for policies to protect workers from the risk of job loss due to AI, such as unemployment insurance policies and minimum wage mechanisms for workers directly affected.
Unions can support employees in job transitions.
According to Ms. Nghiem Thuy Lan - President of Vietnam Oil and Gas Union, the participants of the IndustriALL meeting put forward a number of proposals that the union organization can implement to respond to and adapt to AI. One of them is that the union participates in dialogues with businesses and the government to shape policies on integrating AI in the workplace, advocating for policies and laws to protect workers, such as basic wages for those replaced by AI or reduced working hours.
As AI increases productivity and profits, unions can ensure that these benefits are shared fairly between businesses and workers, for example through higher wages, improved social benefits, or equity shares. Unions can also support workers in changing jobs, helping them find new opportunities in other industries through career guidance and job matching, etc.
The most important thing is that trade unions need to adapt and innovate to play a key role in supporting workers to adapt and develop in the AI era.
