On 8 October 2018 we published the BTS Round Table on the Future of Work, in which 12 experts explain recent changes to the nature of work and offer new ideas in labour policy, organising, and activism. This piece has been written in response.
Unions21 is delighted to participate in this discussion regarding the future of work. Having had the opportunity to read through earlier contributions, we were especially pleased with the emphasis on governments absconding from key responsibilities, as highlighted by Alison Tate and others. We also further endorse Shawna Bader-Blau’s emphasis on the need to approach people as both workers and citizens simultaneously. These and other contributions feed into the bottom line for our own contribution in this piece, which starts with the premise that governments should act to establish a framework for social responsibility that embraces concepts of fair work, but they cannot be reliedupon to do so. And since governments cannot be relied upon to act independently, our goal should be to organise as both workers and citizens in support of a better future for work.
This starting point is shared with a number of earlier contributors, such as Han Dongfang, Lupe Gonzalo, Reema Nanavaty and Elizabeth Tang. We see no incentive strong enough to guarantee that policy-makers do the ‘right’ thing.
