IWGB demonstration in London in September 2017. Photo: Riitta Juntunen / SAK
Does the worker have a say in the platform economy?
Employee empowerment in a platform economy was a theme of the Time of Opportunities project in autumn 2017. The project is run by the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK).
Under the theme, SAK sought to investigate the working experiences of people primarily engaged in casual work through online platforms, and to find out what kind of experiences and aspirations they have in relation to the world of work and their expectations of trade unions.
A further perspective was the willingness of the trade union movement to defend the interests of platform economy workers. SAK studied the types of alternative solutions offered by the Finnish and international trade union movement to such problems, and whether the international trade union movement could provide any format enabling trade unions to defend the interests of platform economy workers, or existing solutions that would help these workers appreciate the need for unions.
Findings of the platform economy theme are now published in English. The final report can be read and downloaded on our website.
SAK launched its four-year Time of Opportunities project in 2016 with a view to developing the work of the future, improving the daily lives of employees, and making the world of work more compassionate and equitable. The project focuses on two main themes or phenomena each year. The themes in 2017 were new adult education and employee empowerment in the platform economy. This spring the project is examining the impact of artificial intelligence on quality of life at work and employee autonomy.