The argument made here is that a critical mass of newcomers has shown a willingness to be more involved in union activities. To reflect on how unions could best respond to this opportunity, it is helpful to distinguish between three ideal approaches for building union power: advocacy, mobilising and... Find out more

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In the specific case of blockchain technology applied to cryptocurrency trading, like Bitcoin or Ethereum, transactions are inputted into the network by generating a unique encrypted code called a ‘hash’ (or hash value). This is done by an algorithm, which converts any content (for example, a series... Find out more

Superpowers, states and companies around the world are all pushing hard to win the AI race. Artificial intelligence (AI) is of strategic importance for the EU, with the European Commission recently stating that ‘artificial intelligence with a purpose can make Europe a world leader’. Europe can only... Find out more

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One worker, one vote? The notion that every citizen’s voice should count equally is, of course, fundamental to democracy. Indeed, this principle was first brought into the trade union political discourse by the British trade unionist George Howell (1880). Despite the wide variation in national... Find out more

Cross-border management needscross-border democracy at work Article 27 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights is very clear: ‘Workers or their representatives must, at the appropriate levels, be guaranteed information and consultation in good time in the cases and under the conditions... Find out more

No equal access to democracy at work The collective representation of employees is a corner stone of democracy at work. Where workers’ voice is expressed collectively, the range of their interests can be more effectively aggregated, balanced, and defended. Furthermore, collective forms of... Find out more

A gender-inclusive democracy ahead Persistent gender inequality in corporate decision-making and society at large (ETUC and ETUI 2018: 77) is also reflected in women’s limited access to leadership and representative positions in democratic workplace institutions. Despite unions’ efforts to secure... Find out more

Squaring a circle? In many countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), democracy at work involves mandatory employee representation in company boards, with a right for worker representatives to vote about top-level strategic matters. The democratic potential of board-level employee representation... Find out more