The European Trade Union Confederation defended this Tuesday that no worker can be “subject to the will of a machine” and defended that the European Union (EU) must guarantee the “principle of human control” over artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
“In the same way that the European treaties guarantee health or safety at work, it is necessary to guarantee the principle of human control over the machine,” said Esther Lynch, a European union leader in an interview with France Presse.
The 60-year-old Irish woman, appointed general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation last December, said it was necessary to have the “guarantee that no worker will ever be subjected to the will of a machine.”
Esther Lynch chairs the organization’s congress that takes place every four years and takes place from Tuesday to Friday in Berlin, the capital of Germany.
the arrival of software ChatGPT at the end of last year again focused on the changes that artificial intelligence will bring to many professions. While some are excited about the possible disappearance of the most repetitive tasks, others are concerned about the disappearance of many jobs, the dehumanization of decision-making and the consequences in the most intimate domains of workers.
Lynch asked the EU to discuss with the unions the regulation of these tools.
The EU is currently debating a legislative package to regulate certain uses of AI and prohibit others, such as the “generalized surveillance of a population”.
The leader also defends that everyone has to benefit “from the productivity gains provided by artificial intelligence”, workers and shareholders, and recalled that, last year, “the largest companies in Europe saw their dividends rise much more than wages “.
On the effects of the restrictive monetary policy of the European Central Bank to combat inflation, the union leader said that “workers are the main victims of the increase in interest rates.”
“The solution is to tax dividends and redistribute wealth,” he said.
In February of this year, the Tunisian president, Kais Saied, ordered the expulsion of the main union leader of the European Union for statements that Tunisia described as “flagrant interference” in the internal affairs of the country, the presidency said in a statement.
Lynch “participated in a demonstration organized by the Tunisian General Union of Labor and issued statements that constitute flagrant interference in the internal affairs of Tunisia,” according to the statement. The authorities gave her 24 hours to leave Tunisia, where she is now considered ‘persona non grata’, according to the same source.
The union leader participated in a demonstration in the port city of Sfax (central east), in protest against the arrest at the end of January of Anis Kaabi, a leading local union leader, and against the deterioration of the economic situation.
“We say to governments: don’t touch our unions, release our leaders,” Lycnh said as he addressed the crowd.
In the interview with France Presse, Lynch said he delivered “a moderate and respectful speech in support of local unions.”
The leader said that she received a visit from the authorities at her hotel and that she was intimidated into leaving the country within 24 hours.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid,” he said.
A study by the European Trade Union Confederation, made public on Tuesday, indicates that one of the keys to combat the lack of labor in Europe is to offer better wages.
Through a comparative analysis of job offers and salaries in 22 EU countries, the study shows that the sectors that have the most problems finding staff pay, on average, 9% less than those that find it easier to hire.
The report comes after the EU job vacancy rate reached record levels last year, causing production problems at 25% of companies.
While this situation has generally been attributed to a lack of qualified personnel for some jobs, new analysis, by the European Trade Union Institute, indicates that low wages are one of the main factors behind labor shortages.
Source: TSF
