#StrongUnionStrongFuture Conference – Finance Speech

During Community’s Biennial Delegates Conference National Secretary Caroline Taylor moved the chapter on finance.

You can watch her speech in full below.

National Secretary for Finance Caroline Taylor said:

“Over the last two years, our finance and professional sector has not stood still.

“We have transformed, we have grown, and most importantly, we have found our voice in shaping the future of our industry. 

“Finance is changing at a pace none of us have seen before. Artificial intelligence is no longer on the horizon. It is here. It is in our workplaces and it is reshaping the very nature of the jobs we do. 

“That is why our sector has stepped forward – not just to respond to change, but to lead it. 

“In the last two years we have faced significant organisational change in our partner organisations.

“We have supported members through TUPE transfers, restructures, redundancy consultations, and offshoring proposals, often all at the same time. 

“At Zurich, despite large‑scale structural changes, we’ve strengthened our partnership, grown our rep network and increased our visibility.

“At Capita, even though the workforce has reduced, we’ve held onto our presence, secured pay rises and recruited new branch secretaries.  At Ardonagh, we built a union voice in a previously non‑union environment.

“At the heart of that success is one thing: our people. Our members and our reps. Over the last two years, we have strengthened our rep network across the UK with a generation of new reps emerging, a UK-wide reps forum sharing knowledge and supporting each other and stronger communication through new digital platforms.

“We are no longer isolated workplaces, we are connected and organised and confident together. Our biggest achievement over this last two years has been our Fair Future for Finance campaign.

“This campaign was built by reps, shaped by the sector committee, and driven by the real concerns of our members. It came from a motion at our last conference in Brighton and has built momentum since then.  

“It speaks to a simple but powerful idea – that the future of finance must work for workers, not against them. 

“The campaign calls for three fundamental things: protecting entry routes into the sector, so AI does not close the door on the next generation; investing in training and upskilling, so workers can thrive alongside the new technology; and ensuring the ethical use of AI, with safeguards against surveillance and the erosion of workplace right.

“Because while AI brings enormous opportunities, it also brings risk, including job redesign, loss of entry-level roles, and increased monitoring of workers. Artificial intelligence is changing jobs, redefining careers, and transforming the workplace before our eyes. 

“Right now, the finance industry stands on the edge of a technological revolution, and we refuse to let that future be written without us. 

“In May this year, we turned that campaign into action. Alongside Zurich, we officially launched the Fair Future for Finance Responsible AI Charter – a landmark moment for our sector. 

“Zurich became the first employer to sign, committing to ethical and transparent use of AI, investment in training during working hours, protection against intrusive surveillance and engagement with unions and policymakers on AI’s future.

“The launch brought together union leaders, policy makers and an an industry voice, all united around the one message that innovation must be responsible, that progress must be fair, and that workers must be at the heart of both. It’s not just a campaign, it’s the blueprint for the future of our industry.

“Through our connections with the Alliance for Finance we’ve taken that message beyond our own employers and led sector-wide discussions on AI, employment law and inclusion, built alliances with other unions and positioned Community as the leading voice in financial services. And as more organisations sign up to the charter the influence continues to grow.

“Conference, if the AI campaign is about the future of work – then our young workers strategy in finance is about the future of our movement. 

“With the launch of our young member project, we are creating pathways for apprentices and graduates to develop within the union, supporting young reps into leadership roles and building engagement on the issues young workers care about, because we know if AI risks closing entry-level roles, then our responsibility is to help open doors, to bring in a new generation and to empower them and to ensure they shape what comes next. 

“But we cannot stop here. The pace of change in finance is only accelerating, the choices being made now by employers, by government and by industry will shape the jobs for decades to come.

“So our task at Community is clear: to grow our strength, to deepen our influence, and to ensure that the future of finance is not something that happens to workers, but is something that is built with them.”