A right to lifelong learning to support all workers to adapt

Community’s Head of Research, Policy and External Relations, Kate Dearden spoke at the Labour Party Conference on the importance of supporting workers’ skills development with the introduction of new technologies in the workplace. You can read her words below:

Conference, this motion is about the simple idea that new technologies in the workplace should make work better and safer for everyone.

In too many workplaces we’re seeing bad bosses use digital tools to spy on their workforce. And are putting crucial decisions about our members’ lives into the hands of unaccountable algorithms.

But this isn’t just a raw deal for working people – it’s also bad for British businesses and our entire economy.

To build the economy we need for a fairer and greener future, we have to invest in our workforce, and conference, we need a skills revolution to fix our broken system.

That means a proper strategy for skills

A right to lifelong learning to support all workers to adapt.

Reforming the Apprenticeship Levy so people have the skills they need for the jobs of today and of tomorrow.

Conference this motion is calling on Labour to change this lose-lose situation workers are experiencing which is bad for workers, bad for British businesses and bad for the entire economy – into a win-win situation.

Protecting workers on the one hand against hostile digital tools, whilst equipping them on the other with the skills they need for the economy of tomorrow.

So we can all have a fairer, greener future.

You can read more about our skills campaign here, and our member-exclusive learning and development opportunities here.

If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.