TransFormWork2

The project is implemented with the Financial Support of the European Commission – Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, SOCPL-2023-SOC-DIALOG

The digital transformation of the economy, bringing increased use of AI systems to EU workplaces, is a diverse topic with a significant impact on everyday life for the world of work and society as a whole. EU Member States face these challenges in different ways, due to different social and economic situations, labour markets, industrial relations systems and existing practices and collective agreements.

European social partners have been involved in the debate on AI regulation from the earliest stages. In response to the problems and challenges of digitalisation for labour markets and the world of work, as well as for society as a whole, the European social partners signed the Framework Agreement on Digitalisation, which is designed to encourage and help employers and workers in EU Member States to be a leader in the digital transformation processes in the world of work. The Framework Agreement sets out guidelines and principles on how and under what conditions AI is applied in the world of work and highlights the fact that currently most companies in Europe are still in the early stages of using new AI-based capabilities to optimise work processes or create new business models. It is therefore important to explore the possibilities of using AI or machine learning for economic growth and good working conditions.

The project aims to reach common solutions by the national social partners:

• to manage the impact of AI and algorithmic management and their huge impact on the work of the future.
• to address the important issues related to labour relations.
• to find appropriate mechanisms, practices and initiatives to anticipate the skills needs of tomorrow in a timely manner, and to upgrade and restrain the existing workforce – which is fundamental to the success of an AI that works for the benefit of all.
• to raise awareness of the implementation of the right strategies and to ensure the principle of maintaining human control, AI could bring clear benefits and added value for employers and workers, providing new opportunities in the labour market, new ways of organising work and improving working conditions.

• Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB)
• General Union of Workers (GWU), Malta
• Cyprus Workers’ Confederation (SEK)
• General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), Italy
• Union, Service, Industry, Professionals and Technicians (SIPTU), Ireland
• Cyprus Federation of Employers and Industrialists (OEB)
• Malta Chamber of Commerce and Business Association (TMCCEA)
• Employers’ Confederation CONCORDIA (CPC), Romania
• Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), Poland

• Study in a national context, existing legislative measures and social partners’ strategies and initiatives related to the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on labour relations (and more specifically the regulations as provided for by the Framework Agreement on Digitalisation and other key documents of the EU social partners). Thus, the analysis will examine topics such as, the principle of maintaining human control, algorithmic management and decision-making, the protection of human dignity from the impact of algorithmic systems on work and from psychosocial risks, training systems for social partners to retain employees (particularly in the use of AI), how data from algorithmic management affects collective bargaining and collective bargaining employment contracts.
• To manage the challenges faced by the social dialogue stemming from the two pillars of the Framework Agreement on Digitalization, namely: a) Artificial Intelligence and Guaranteeing the principle of maintaining human control and b) Respect for Human Dignity and Surveillance, and the new opportunities presented by digitalization.
• To carry out the Benchmarking analysis of trends in the 7 countries of the Project partners and to develop Guidelines for the monitoring and management of AI at enterprise level based on the research and study and the events held at European and national level.
• To support the European social partners in their efforts to adopt an EU Directive on Algorithmic Systems at Work and to raise awareness and strengthen the capacity of national social partners to introduce, in their countries, new regulations on the use of AI and respect the principle of maintaining human control in the use of algorithmic management.
• To improve the understanding of employers, employees and their representatives of the opportunities and challenges in the world of work arising from AI and to ensure a just transition to the workplace of the future.
• In the context of the new industrial relations imposed by new technologies and in particular AI, to organise discussions and exchange of experiences and examples of good practices as well as the role of social partners and social dialogue in this process in the context of the new dimensions at national and transnational level.
• Promote good practices and positive results stemming from social dialogue and collective bargaining; respect for the principle of maintaining human control when introducing algorithmic systems and their impact on labour relations at national level, by producing 2 Short Policy Reports (one per year) presenting the current policy debates at EU level on digitalisation; AI and algorithmic management.
• To explore the necessity to amend the existing national legal frameworks for better regulation of AI in order to strengthen the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Digitalisation and to promote the adoption of the proposed Directives on Algorithmic Systems and Psychosocial Risks, including the draft Law on AI, and to make proposals to the relevant national and European institutions.

• Implementation of a study and analysis of national frameworks, existing legislative measures, strategies and initiatives of the social partners on the impact of AI on industrial relations, through the documentation from the seven National Reports.
• Comparative analysis of trends in partner countries (Comparative report of the project).
• Guidelines for the monitoring and management of AI at operational level based on research and study in the 7 partner countries.
• Two Policy Briefs presenting the current policy debates at EU level on digitalisation, AI and algorithmic management.
• Seven National Discussion Forums to exchange experiences and examples of good practice.
• Three European Roundtables that will examine the opportunities and challenges in the world of work arising from AI and ensure a just transition to the workplace of the future.
• Final Conference on the dissemination of the project results and the promotion of good practices and positive results resulting from social dialogue and collective bargaining on respect for the principle of maintaining human control in the introduction of algorithmic systems and the impact they have on labour relations at national and European level.

The research and analytical activities will be carried out in four stages:

• Stage 1 – Literature review of the national framework, existing legislative measures and social partners’ strategies and initiatives on the impact of AI on labour relations.
• Stage 2 (qualitative and quantitative data) – interviews with selected respondents from the social partners and other key institutions.
• Stage 3 – analysis, conclusions and recommendations (as documented in the 7 National Reports) to explore the need to amend the existing national legal frameworks for better regulation of AI in order to strengthen the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Digitalisation and promote the adoption of the proposed Directives on Algorithmic Systems and Psychosocial Risks and make proposals to the relevant national and European authorities Institutions.
• Stage 4 – benchmarking (Comparative Report) of the 7 National Reports, including the main conclusions and recommendations.
  During Stage 4 of the project, as part of the methodology, the following actions will also be implemented:
  • Develop Guidelines for the monitoring and management of AI at enterprise level.
  • Two Short Policy Reports to present the current policy debates at EU level on digitalisation, AI and algorithmic management.
  • Seven National Forums for discussions and exchange of experiences and examples of good practice on the role of social partners and social dialogue in managing and monitoring the impact of AI in the context of its new dimensions at national and transnational level.
  • Three European Roundtables to promote good practices and positive outcomes resulting from social dialogue and collective bargaining on respect for the principle of maintaining human control when introducing algorithmic systems and their impact on labour relations at national level.
  • Final International Conference to present and discuss the overall results of the project, disseminate key findings, encourage a broader discussion on how to best harness the benefits of digital transformation in the workplace.

The first meeting of the project was organized by the Bulgarian guild CITUB in Sofia, on May 8, 2024. During the meeting, the preparatory work and coordination for the project was carried out, which will be implemented over a period of two years with the assistance and cooperation of the participating partners. Within the framework of the project, seminars, consulting workshops and in-depth qualitative and quantitative research will be implemented.

The first European roundtable session of the project was organised by the Irish guild SIPTU in Dublin on 15 October 2024. As part of the discussion, various presentations were made by experts on Artificial Intelligence. Interventions were also made by executives of BusinessEurope, the pan-European employers’ organization of which the Federation of Employers and Industrialists (OEB) is a member, and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Thematic units and presentations:

The TransformWork2 project – objectives and results

• Ina Atanasova – Project Manager, CITUB (Presentation)

European Regulation on Artificial Intelligence – the views of the European social partners

• Isabelle Schömann, Deputy General Secretary, ETUC
• Isaline Ossieur, Adviser, Social Affairs, BusinessEurope (Presentation)
• Eamonn Cahill, Principal Officer, AI and Digital Regulation Unit, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Presentation)

Ethical dimension of digitalization at work

• Catherine Keogh, National Secretary, Fórsa
• Aidan Connolly, CEO, Idiro Analytics
• Sara Riso, Research Manager, EUROFOUND (Presentation)

Embedding AI in European workplaces

• Bernard Harbor, Member of the National AI Advisory Council, IE
• Alexiei Dingli, Professor of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Head of the Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Malta (Presentation)
• Cinzia Maiolini, National Secretary, Filctem Cgil (Presentation)

Artificial Intelligence and employment – Ireland’s experience

• Lisa Wilson, Senior Economist, Nevin Economic Research Institute (Presentation)
• Mary Connaughton, Director, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Ireland (Presentation)

Overview of Artificial Intelligence at national level

• Brian McGann, Project Coordinator, SIPTU, Ireland
• Frank Vaughan, Project Researcher, Ireland (Presentation)
• Rositsa Makelova, Project Researcher, CITUB, Bulgaria (Presentation)
• Salvo Leonardi, Project Researcher FDV/CGIL, Italy (Presentation)
• Anna Anetta Janowska, Project Researcher, SGH, Poland (Presentation)
• Christos Pelekanos, Department of Economic Studies, SEK, Cyprus (Presentation)
• Fabio Bajada, Malta Chamber, Malta (Presentation)
• Liviu Neagu, Concordia Employers’ Confederation, Romania (Presentation)

The second European roundtable session of the project was organized by the Italian guild CGIL in Bologna on 27 March 2025. In the framework of the meeting, the project partners and the participating expert rapporteurs exchanged views on the impact of AI on employment, the organisation and conditions of employment, the employer-employee relationship and collective representation. Developments related to AI at national level were also presented, as well as presentations related to a case study in Italy.

Thematic units and presentations:

Greetings

• Michele Bulgarelli, General Secretary CdLM
• Francesco Sinopoli, President Fondazione Giuseppe Di Vittorio
• Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director Eurofound

Introduction to the project and recent developments

• Ina Atanasova, Project Manager Citub (Presentation)

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Employment, Organization and Working Conditions

• AI in workplaces: some evidence from the TransFormWork II desk research – Kevin O’Kelly, Work sociologist, Project Scientific Co-ordinator (Presentation)
• The hidden work of IA – Marco Marrone, Sociologist, University of Salento
• AI and robotics in the EU: prevalence, perceptions, and company practices – Sara Riso, Research manager, Eurofound (Presentation)
• IA and gender issues – Giulia Sudano and Laura Sartori, Aequitas Project

The impact of Artificial Intelligence on the labour market, employer-employee relationship and collective representation in Italy

• AI and work: a labour law profile – Federico Martelloni, Labour Lawyer, University of Bologna
• AI, collective bargaining and I&C rights – Giulio Centamore, Labour Lawyer, University of Bologna
• AI and trade unions – Matteo Rinaldini, Sociologist, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia (Presentation)

Overview of Artificial Intelligence at national level (roundtable)

• Rositsa Makelova – CITUB, Bulgaria (Presentation)
• Lena Panayiotou – OEB, Cyprus (Presentation)
• Frank Vaughan – SIPTU, Ireland
• Fabio Bajada – Malta Chamber, Malta (Presentation)
• Andrzej Zybała – SGH, Poland (Presentation)
• Liviu Neagu, Concordia Employers’ Confederation, Romania
• Stefan Gran, Policy Advisor ETUC (online)

Tecnopolo Bologna case study – Collective bargaining at regional level

• Mirto Bassoli, CdLM Bologna
• Morena Diazzi, Emilia Romagna Region, General Director of Knowledge, Research, Labour, Enterprises
• Massimo Bussandri, General Secretary Cgil Emilia Romagna
• Alessandra Poggiani, General Director of Cineca

Concluding Remarks

• Christian Ferrari, Cgil National Secretary