{"id":13301,"date":"2017-09-12T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=13301"},"modified":"2017-09-12T12:24:07","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T11:24:07","slug":"we-have-to-grasp-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=13301","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We have to grasp it&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p>Speaking in support of Composite 8 on great jobs yesterday (September 11), Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke warned of the challenges faced by automation, which he said \u00e2\u20ac\u015bmay be greater than any faced by our movement since the first industrial revolution, two centuries ago.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt took fifty years for the world to install the first million industrial robots,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe second million will take just eight years.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf unchecked the automation of work could lead to a third of decent jobs being lost by 2030.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nBurke said that while the composite mostly focused on zero hours contracts and the gig economy, he noted that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bautomation, in its scale and scope, is something different.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is like electricity \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t un-invent it and we have to grasp it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he argued. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bFrom smart factories to the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098internet of things\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, we must negotiate technology agreements on our terms.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat starts with an understanding that new technology is not in-and-of-itself a threat.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe threat comes when we ask who controls it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Burke added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhose interests does it serve?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nBurke highlighted Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s view on automation, one in which democratic oversight is front and centre in the adoption of digital technology at work.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIndustrially, this should extend to protections in collective bargaining agreements, limitations on the collection and use of big data, and the creation of policies to make the benefits of automation work for all, including a shorter working life, including a shorter working hours,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis may also include linking new technology to flexible working time and even job sharing, but with no loss of pay. Why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t automation allow a new apprentice to job share with a retiring engineer and make sure vital skills are retained?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nHe urged the UK government to take a leaf out the German government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s book by sitting down with trade unions to review how automation will change the world of work.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite is committed to being at the forefront of this change, meeting it head on,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have recognised there is no \u00e2\u20ac\u0098one size fits all\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 way to deal with this.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nUrging delegates to support the composite, he said unions should follow Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lead as it puts automation \u00e2\u20ac\u015bas the centre piece of a genuine, long-term manufacturing industrial strategy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The composite was passed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Speaking in support of Composite 8 on great jobs yesterday (September 11), Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke warned of the challenges faced by automation, which he said \u00e2\u20ac\u015bmay be greater than any faced by our movement since the first industrial revolution, two centuries ago.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 &nbsp; \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt took fifty years for the world to install [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[455,633,792],"wps_subtitle":"TUs should lead on automation","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13301"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13301"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13331,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13301\/revisions\/13331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}