DIGITALIZATION OF THE WORKPLACE WITH FOCUS ON DIGITAL LABOUR PLATFORMS

The Academy was a comprehensive multi-dimensional training offer designed and implemented by the Turin Programme for Workers’ Activities to address the various implications and impacts that the rapid advances in technology and innovation have transformed the world of work and work in many sectors, including employment relationships. Implemented for the first time in digital format, this academy explored how the transformation has manifested in the proliferation of digital labour platforms as a distinct feature of the digital economy. The Academy was implemented over four (4) weeks; each week introduced a different module through webinars, self-guided and tutor-led learning. The Academy provided the participants with a wide range of ILO policies and tools to support them in advancing union strategies and actions on the subject matter, i.e. ILO 2021 Flagship Report World Employment and Social Outlook: The role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work, Policy responses to new forms of work (ILO, 2019): International governance of digital labour platforms, Platform work and the employment relationship (ILO,2021), Organizing on Demand: Representation, Voice and Collective Bargaining in the Gig Economy, ILO, 2019, Digital labour platforms and the future of work Towards decent work in the online world (ILO, 2018) A significant part of the Academy focused on the exchanges of good practices among the unions from the national and sectoral levels as well as with experts from academia, ILO specialists, ITCILO Trainers, ITUC and global union federations, especially ITF, who illustrated the sectoral approach to addressing labour rights and other decent work priorities for workers in digital labour platforms. Finally, the Academy collected and disseminated trade union examples of workers’ involvement in addressing workers’ in digital labour platforms. OBJECTIVES Upon successful completion of the course, participants are able to: • Define and understand the realities in digital labour platforms, including the challenges, opportunities, and impact on the labour market, employment, labour relations, and the future of work; • Analyse the weaknesses and policy deficits of current regulatory frameworks governing jobs both in locally and globally operating service platforms; • Use ILS, ILO tools and other instruments to determine and develop studied policy recommendations and demands towards a coherent regulatory framework for digital labour platforms, which trade unions can bring to the table in tripartite and bipartite discussions and public policy debates at the national, enterprise, and sectoral levels; • Share, learn from and replicate successful global, regional, national and sectoral trade union initiatives and strategies in promoting decent work and inclusive growth in digital labour platforms; • Develop priority trade union actions and strategies to deal with the challenges in digital labour platforms, including capacity-development activities and union-to-union networking for the promotion of decent work for workers in digital labour platforms; and • Develop a global network of trade union representatives knowledgeable on the theme. CONTENT The Academy covered four learning modules: Module 1. REALITIES AND CHALLENGES IN DIGITAL LABOUR PLATFORMS Module 2. ILS AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR WORK ON DIGITAL LABOUR PLATFORMS Module 3. TRADE UNION INITIATIVES AND RESPONSES: LESSONS AND INSIGHTS Module 4: BIPARTITE SOCIAL DIALOGUE, REPRESENTATION, AND WAY FORWARD The Academy combined asynchronous and synchronous learning sessions in a complementary way. In addition, the Academy is comprised of five (5) live webinars of 2 hours duration each, a series of self-guided eLearning modules and assignments on the e-campus facilitated by online tutors. ECAMPUS The Academy was delivered via the eCampus, the education platform of the International Training Centre of the ILO. The online platform was used to distribute course information, communication and collaboration, accessing self-guided eLearning modules and other training materials, tutor-based learning, research and reading assignments, peer-to-peer exchanges of good practices and experiences, feedback and multimedia content. ACHIEVEMENT The certificate of participation is awarded upon completion of a significant part of the academy requirements: i) participation in the webinars; ii) interaction with the online tutor; iii) completion of self-guided eLearning modules; iv) visualization of multimedia content; v) submission of written assignments and weekly posts to the forum. The estimated time for the completion of the Academy was approximately 40 hours.