Unions to demand employers be forbidden from using AI for ‘mass redundancies'
The council's assistant secretary Joseph Mitchell will use a speech on Tuesday to send a message that the union movement expects Labor to push through legislation to bar the use of AI at businesses that cannot reach agreements with their employees.
'It is necessary to have a comprehensive AI act to ensure that such bad-faith uses of this technology are protected against,' Mitchell will say in a speech to the Melbourne University Productivity Flash Forum, according to draft speech notes seen by this masthead. 'Workers will be all in if they know doing so will not cost them their jobs.'
Business groups have argued that artificial intelligence presents a multibillion-dollar opportunity for Australia to improve its productivity, arguing it will allow workers to be redeployed to higher-skilled jobs and calling for any safeguards not to impede the uptake of the technology.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will host the roundtable from August 19 to 21 to address Australia's flatlining productivity, hoping it will generate ideas for economic reform.
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A similar summit hosted by the Albanese government at the start of its first term contributed to the legislation of key union priorities such as letting labour organisations bargain across multiple employers, upsetting business groups.
Mitchell will argue that the biggest productivity gains come from businesses that use AI in a consultative way and respect workers' skills.
'Employers should be required to reach AI-implementation agreements with their staff before new technologies are introduced into workplaces,' Mitchell will say, saying agreements should include requirements on job security, privacy and retraining.
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Gen Z grew up on YouTube. They say a ban is a blow to culture and community
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SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
From fleeing war to getting engaged in 10 days: Meet five of parliament's newest faces
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ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Unions push for AI protections
Rachel Mealey: As the Commonwealth Bank becomes the first in its industry to publicly attribute job cuts to AI, unions are urgently renewing their push for worker protections. That's prompted a sharp rebuke from industry, saying more regulations will restrict productivity and the goal of AI is efficiency, not job cuts. Isabel Moussalli reports. Isabel Moussalli: The Commonwealth Bank isn't the first company to cut jobs in favour of AI, but the Finance Sector Union says it's the first in its industry to acknowledge it. Joseph Mitchell: Well, it's frankly unjust. Commonwealth Bank has made billions of dollars of profit every year for however many years. Isabel Moussalli: Joseph Mitchell is with the Australian Council of Trade Unions. He's angry that 45 roles will be replaced by a customer service chatbot. Joseph Mitchell: And making them redundant by bringing in AI to replace their jobs is just not fair. Isabel Moussalli: A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson says its investment in technology, including AI, is making it easier and faster for customers to get help, and its priority is to explore opportunities for redeployment and to support affected employees. But Joseph Mitchell says unions will fight mass redundancies from AI. Joseph Mitchell: So we know the most productive way to implement AI in a workplace is through the skilled application of workers. Workers are trained in how to use it. They can make decisions with employers about how it gets used. Isabel Moussalli: The ACTU will call for AI regulations at the Federal Government's Economic Reform Roundtable next month. Joseph Mitchell: We want to see employers required to enter into AI implementation agreements with their staff. That means that employers need to come to their staff with a plan, negotiate with employees and come to a joint agreement about how they're going to implement AI and what are the consequences going to be, with things like guarantees around job security, training and skills development. Isabel Moussalli: But the Australian Industry Group has hit back. Innes Willox: Well, it's kind of ironic because we go into a productivity summit that we have some proposals here that will restrict further productivity growth. Isabel Moussalli: That's Chief Executive Innes Willocks. Innes Willox: There are going to be times where there has to be significant consultation with the workforce and there's going to be other times when they just can't be in business, just has to get on with it. But all the information that we're getting, everything we're seeing and hearing from business is that they're not setting out to use it as a means to cut jobs on the whole. It's really about how to make their business better. Isabel Moussalli: RMIT's Dr. Emmanuelle Walkowiak is an innovation and labour economist specialising in generative AI. She explains the impact on the workforce can't be precisely forecast, but says right now we're in the middle of a massive disruption to the labour market. Emmanuelle Walkowiak: The major impact is through the transformation of jobs themselves. So what we need is really to upskill people. Isabel Moussalli: In a statement, Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth acknowledged AI offers significant opportunities to drive economic growth, but also presents challenges, and says the government's been consulting on introducing safeguards for AI. Rachel Mealey: Isabel Moussalli reporting.
