Labor Relations Archives - Dialogues on European Digital Transition

The future of employment: a new framework for a new paradigm beyond work

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future January 20, 2023January 20, 2023Labor Relations, Ricardo Rodríguez Contreras

The world of work has changed forever. Even so, often we aren’t capable of seeing the entire picture. It’s not just a question of lost jobs, emerging professions, new working relationships… The revolution in employment, as a consequence of digitalisation, cannot be understood, in spite of its enormous transcendence, as an isolated event. As the president of the EADT, Ricardo Rodríguez, wrote in the latest edition of the magazine Telos, it is differentiated from other socio-labour revolutions in that it converges with the climate crisis. Accordingly, humanity is facing the challenge of shaping digital transition along with environmental sustainability. “Managing this transition requires democratic, social and economic control”, says the article. “It needs to build a framework that repositions people and citizens at the centre of equitable governance that shapes our future, and not just the future of work”.

The Uber files: leaked documents reveal a strategy of chaos – has anything changed?

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future July 26, 2022July 26, 2022Labor Relations, Uber

Uber has had a controversial history since its founding in 2009, from violent conflicts among drivers to a secret software allegedly used to evade law enforcement. Now, a leak of over 124,000 documents dubbed the Uber files shows the extent to which the firm under co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick capitalised on that chaos to expand across 40 countries.

The future of work, according to Uber

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future March 12, 2021June 9, 2021Labor Relations, Uber

For years we have been witness to a range of debates, formulations, and written proposals on the future of work. The impact of digitalization and technological change sparks many of these debates, as do trends that have long existed as a result of changes in how the workforce is composed, business models, and, ultimately, the process of globalisation that accelerated at the end of the last century.

‘Save your zone’: A campaign going beyond local business

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future December 21, 2020June 9, 2021Amazon, Labor Relations, Local business, saveyourzone

Since the end of November, the European Association for Digital Transition has been doing the ’save your zone’ campaign in the four leading economies of the European Union – Spain, France, Italy and Germany. With this initiative, we are looking to defend nearby stores during a Christmas season that, for many businesses, will decide their survival.

#saveyourzone: we call on European mayors to defend local business against e-commerce giants

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future November 27, 2020June 9, 2021Amazon, Labor Relations, Local business, saveyourzone

It is the decisive moment of the year for businesses with the arrival of ‘Black Friday’ and the Christmas celebrations. But here, too, 2020 is different: for many European businesses, whether they close the year better or worse over the coming weeks isn’t what’s at stake. What’s at stake, frankly, is their survival. If they do not perform well, they will shutter the windows forever, impoverishing the social and economic fabric of European cities.

False freelancers problem goes beyond the labour market

European Association for Digital Transition Rights and freedom October 20, 2020June 9, 2021Amazon, Fiscal policy, Labor Relations

Following a trade union complaint, the Labour Inspectorate of the Spanish government has just officially registered 4,056 delivery people who were working for Amazon as false freelancers in Madrid and Barcelona. In addition, it is demanding the U.S. company pay 6.16 million euros in unpaid contributions.

‘Committees of sages’ and digital rights: how to move from theory to reality

European Association for Digital Transition Democratic quality July 2, 2020June 9, 2021Data Protection, Digital rights, Digital sovereignty, Labor Relations, Spain

Gradually, digitalization, in its broadest sense, is beginning to have a prominent place on the political agenda of governments and institutions. This is a transversal and multidimensional challenge for society as a whole, affecting health, education, wealth creation, mobility, democratic freedoms, the free market, etc. Digital transformation can bring enormous benefits for people, companies – of all sizes – and society overall if the transition process is done in an orderly, rational, and inclusive way. The necessary transition also entails challenges and risks, as adjustments will have to be made and accepted; hence the importance of reaching consensus among all the parties involved. This is why we welcome the launch, by the Spanish Government, of a group of experts who will advise them on the creation of a Digital Rights Charter. Addressed here will be rights already recognized in Spanish legislation – for example, data protection – and more recent realities, such as new labour relations and artificial intelligence.

Employment Risks in the Age of the Algorithm

European Association for Digital Transition Rights and freedom June 11, 2020June 9, 2021Digital rights, Fiscal policy, International Labour Organization, ISEAK Foundation, Labor Relations

Important debates on the future of work have been on the agenda of politicians and legislators for some time. But now that the EU has come through the worst of the pandemic, new nuances have been added. Acceleration of the digitalization process over the past three months, with massive use of telecommuting, is creating new challenges. And this also compounds the risks for the most vulnerable citizens, such as older workers and freelancers who rely heavily on technology platforms.

The Challenges of Digitalisation: the Gig Economy more troubling than giving up Data

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future June 5, 2020June 9, 2021Data Protection, Deliveroo, Fiscal policy, Labor Relations, Privacy, Uber

All developed economies face enormous challenges in their digital transition process, such as what to do about privacy and their citizens’ data, the new labour frameworks brought about by digitalisation and the taxation of large platforms, who are barely anchored in national legislation. The experiences and perceptions of citizens are fundamental to addressing these challenges. To find out more about these experiences, the Center for the Governance of Change (CGC), a part of IE University, has carried out the second edition of a study that, beginning with its title, is focused on Europe. This is European Tech Insights, a report that tries to build, through a comprehensive survey in 11 countries, eight of them European (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom), a knowledge base for these digital transition processes.

The Gig Economy: A tax and labour challenge for the EU

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future June 1, 2020June 9, 2021Amazon, Deliveroo, Fiscal policy, Labor Relations, Uber

Approximately 2% of EU adults have their main source of income coming from what is being called the ‘gig economy’, and up to 8% earn occasional income from these work alternatives. The data, from a study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, makes it clear that we are facing an unavoidable reality for Community institutions, posing challenges in the areas of taxation and social protection.