IPPR and TUC Call for Enhanced Worker Influence on AI Adoption
Workers urgently require greater bargaining power regarding the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace to ensure equitable distribution of benefits, according to a report supported by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and produced by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a prominent UK thinktank.
The IPPR advocates for a comprehensive set of measures aimed at increasing employees’ influence during what it describes as a "pivotal moment in the history of work." The report references survey data indicating that 20% of workers feel AI has improved their working life, while 21% believe it has worsened it, and 4% report having already lost a job due to AI technology.
Three Potential Impacts of AI on Work
The IPPR identifies three possible effects of AI on employment: augmentation, where AI complements human labour; degradation, where AI diminishes the quality of work experience, such as through increased monitoring and management of workers; and displacement, where AI replaces workers entirely.
The report’s authors emphasise the critical issue is not whether AI will disrupt working life, but rather who will possess the power to influence that disruption and whose interests it will ultimately serve.
"The question is not whether AI will disrupt working life, but who will have the power to shape that disruption – and whose interests it will ultimately serve," the report’s authors argue.
Recommendations for Worker Consultation and Support
The report proposes a statutory obligation for employers to consult employees on AI adoption and introduces the concept of a "worker support levy." This levy could be financed by companies or workers themselves and would fund a portable "wallet" of benefits that employees could carry between jobs, including union membership, insurance, and training opportunities, with the overarching goal of enhancing workers’ bargaining power.
Consultations on AI adoption could occur through existing collective bargaining frameworks involving unions or via new mechanisms such as worker representation on company boards or the establishment of a consultative body.
TUC General Secretary’s Perspective
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC and author of the report’s foreword, stated:
"Great technological transitions only result in meaningful social progress when they are shaped actively and decisively.
"The Industrial Revolution – often casually invoked to describe the possibilities of AI – saw 50 years of wage stagnation while profits soared. It took the difficult birth of the labour movement to tip technological gains towards workers’ interests and broader social wellbeing.
"To deliver on the promise of technology to enhance lives, inside and out of the workplace, AI must be designed, governed and negotiated by and for workers."
Government Support for AI Adoption
The UK government has expressed strong support for AI adoption, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves identifying it as one of three key drivers for stronger economic growth, alongside enhanced relations with the European Union and increased regional devolution.
In her recent statement, the chancellor described AI as "the defining technology of our era," and affirmed her commitment to "maximise the value added … to the wider economy and the public sector through accelerated adoption."
Labour’s Policy Measures and Business Concerns
Since assuming power in July 2024, the Labour government has introduced a national living wage increase, which, combined with tax rises and other policies, has led some business groups to express concerns about rising employment costs.
