Managing Data Processing in the Workplace through Industrial Relations - Assessment Comparative Report

Abstract

This comparative report of the GDPiR-project addresses digitalisation and datafication in the employment context both as a challenge and an opportunity for social partners to collectively shape the future of work and aiming to provide them with the proper skills and knowledge to effectively act in this context. Notably, effective social dialogue and collective bargaining over data processing in the workplace can only be achieved if workers’ representatives and trade unionists in different countries are adequately trained and get a deep knowledge of the national and European legislation in this field as well as of the best practices performed by social partners at the national and transnational level. Since the use of data and big data is spreading pervasively in any business activity and is gaining importance in decision-making processes impacting on workers, data processing is due to become a fundamental subject of collective negotiations. This report is examining, with a comparative view, the knowledge and skills needed by trade unionists and workers representatives and the examples to improve that knowledge in several countries. Providing workers’ organisations with the proper skills to effectively address the challenges posed by digitalisation and datafication, thus contributing to fill a gap in the praxis of industrial relations, is the main rationale of the GDPiR-project.