Algorithmic Decisions Shaping Employment Outcomes
In the rapidly evolving digital world, Trade Unions are stepping up to address concerns about the increasing use of algorithms in HR processes and the potential misuse of workers' personal data. One such organisation, Union Global Union, is advocating for a digital world of work that prioritises human control and insight over algorithmic decision-making.
Union Global Union has written two key documents: the Top Ten Principles of Workers' Data Privacy and Protection, and the Top Ten Principles of Ethical AI. These documents outline essential demands to prevent algorithmic decision-making that is beyond human control and insight, and to protect workers from potential surveillance, manipulation, and algorithmic control in the workplace.
Individuals often unknowingly give away personal data in exchange for free digital services, and the misuse of data in relation to work is receiving little attention compared to its use in political campaigns. However, Trade Unions are actively addressing these issues.
One of the key concerns is Algorithmic Management as a Control Tool. Research into companies like Amazon reveals how employers use algorithms and digital tracking not only to monitor and manage workers but also to subvert union organizing efforts. In Amazon’s case, algorithmic tools were weaponised to stoke fear, manipulate work conditions, and undermine union drives, demonstrating how algorithms can serve as sophisticated tools for union busting rather than simply neutral HR supports [1].
Trade unions and labor advocates also raise alarms about algorithms' opaque and error-prone nature, which can lead to discriminatory outcomes in hiring, discipline, and firing. The lack of transparency ("black box" nature) of AI decision-making makes it difficult for workers and unions to challenge unfair treatment effectively [1][5].
To tackle these issues, unions are supporting new legal frameworks that require employers to demonstrate transparency and fairness in the AI tools they use for HR decisions. For example, new state laws in 2025 mandate that companies prove their AI hiring algorithms are free from bias and comply with equal employment opportunity laws. These developments empower unions to hold employers accountable through regulatory and legal channels [3].
Union mobilisation in tech and other sectors is partly a response to how these technologies affect workers' rights and privacy. Unions are organising campaigns to gain collective bargaining rights that can address issues around algorithmic surveillance and misuse of personal data in the workplace [3].
Union Global Union is urging management and governments to take responsibility in ensuring a digital world of work that is empowering, inclusive, and open to all. The organisation also believes that data should be considered a public good, accessible to all.
As digital technologies continue to develop rapidly, Union Global Union emphasises the need for immediate action on these fundamental issues. There are few regulations globally, particularly outside Europe, to protect workers' personal data from misuse by companies. Companies are offering AI solutions to cut costs on handling people, such as automatic mood testing and determining motivations.
Union Global Union is concerned about the potential for people to be prevented from working or thriving in the labor market due to uncontrollable algorithms. The organisation is working on these issues globally, discussing the potential benefits of datasets and raising voices against data monopolization.
In summary, Trade Unions are combating the challenges posed by algorithm-driven HR processes by exposing employer misuse, advocating for transparency and fairness through legal reforms, supporting collective worker action, and pushing back against intrusive surveillance practices to protect workers’ rights and personal data privacy in increasingly automated workplaces [1][3][5].
- Union Global Union advocates for a digital world of work that prioritizes human control and insight over algorithmic decision-making to prevent potential surveillance, manipulation, and control of workers in the workplace.
- The lack of transparency and errors in AI decision-making can lead to discriminatory outcomes in hiring, discipline, and firing, making it difficult for workers and unions to challenge unfair treatment.
- To address these issues, unions are supporting new legal frameworks that require employers to demonstrate transparency and fairness in the AI tools they use for HR decisions, such as proving their AI hiring algorithms are free from bias and comply with equal employment opportunity laws.
- Union Global Union is urging management and governments to ensure a digital world of work that is empowering, inclusive, and open to all, and believes that data should be considered a public good, accessible to all, as digital technologies continue to develop rapidly.
