THE HAGUE (ANP) – Employee representatives within companies are still paying too little attention to developments regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. The trade unions De Unie and VCP warned, “AI plays an increasingly important role for employees. Therefore, it is essential that works council members familiarise themselves with AI and know what is happening within their organisation or sector”.
On Saturday, the unions published a guide for trade unions and works councils. The goal of this guide is to ensure that AI is deployed “responsibly and with dignity.” The unions state that this will help employee representation become co-architects of how AI is deployed within the organisation. They can steer towards retraining, further training, and lifelong learning, so that people can keep up with the digital transition.
According to the unions, legal frameworks exist to shape AI policy in organisations. But collective labour agreements and employee participation are needed to translate this into daily work practise.
Layoffs
Market analysts expect that the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Netherlands could lead to a sustained wave of layoffs. Insurer Achmea announced earlier this year that the deployment of artificial intelligence will lead to job losses. This also applies to ING, ABN AMRO, and TomTom, among others.
At smaller companies, too, jobs are disappearing in departments such as customer service, marketing, administration, and IT support due to the use of AI. Through its deployment, routine tasks can be performed faster and largely automatically. Companies then need less staff for the same work.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
