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Digitalization a Labour Perspective and Public PUBLIC SERVICES INTERNATIONAL The global union federation of workers in public services DIGITALIZATION ENGLISH AND PUBLIC SERVICES: A LABOUR PERSPECTIVE Report prepared by Eckhard Voss and Raquel Rego September 2019 Digitalization and Public Services: A Labour Perspective This report was commissioned by PSI to Eckhard Voss1, Wilke Maack GmbH in Hamburg and Raquel Rego2, University of Lisbon in September 2019 [Manuscript completed in May/June 2019] © Public Services International September 2019 © all pictures Shutterstock collection 2019 2 PUBLIC SERVICES INTERNATIONAL ©José Camó Foreword he report “Digitalisation and Public Services: a labour perspective” provides a global overview and policy guidance for public services unions to ensure Tdigitalisation lives up to its promise to enhance public service quality, effec- tiveness and accessibility for users, while improving working conditions and creating decent employment opportunities. It looks at the shapes digitalization is taking in different public service sectors world- wide; how it affects delivery, quality and access; employment, working conditions and labour rights; what public service trade unions are doing about it; and what reg- ulatory and governance considerations can be drawn from this review. The research is based on the review of all main PSI sectors and on an interview sample of 20 public service trade unions representatives from all continents. The findings show that much of the impact of digital technologies on public services depends on how these are regulated and used, and on whether workers and their unions have a say or not on their development and introduction at the workplace. It was commissioned by PSI with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), and elaborated by Eckhard Voss, Wilke Maack GmbH in Hamburg and Raquel Rego, University of Lisbon. DIGITALIZATION AND PUBLIC SERVICES: A LABOUR PERSPECTIVE 3 It finds that digital technologies can improve public service quality and access and contribute to democratic accountability and citizens’ trust in public institutions, while advancing workers’ occupational health and safety (OSH). At the same time, it shows those same technologies can open the door to public service privatization, create a dangerous dependency of public institutions on private digital technology providers, and deepen inequalities among public service users. The review concludes that: z The introduction of digital technologies in public services is frequently driven by private corporate interests z Corporate-led digitalisation is regularly associated with major public service user and data privacy abuse, resulting in a worsening of public service quality and efficiency z Cost-cutting driven digitalisation tends to replace and slash public service jobs. It often uses new technologies for worker surveillance and performance monitoring, increases working time and extends job tasks z It is urgent to establish an adequate regulatory framework for the introduction and use of digital technologies in public services and their workplaces. Such regulation must be developed in close dialogue with public services workers and their trade unions through meaningful participation, information and consultation, and by negotiating relevant wording in collective agreements. Digitalisation and artificial intelligence are changing the way public services func- tion for both users and public service workers. The way governments deal with the digitalisation process will influence those changes. Their actions will have negative outcomes if governments see digitalisation as a way to outsource functions, further abdicating their responsibilities and power. On the other hand, positive results could flow from governments leading the digitalisation process, defining rules, setting lim- its and implementing control procedures that can improve working conditions for public employees and make services more responsive and accessible for users. Rosa Pavanelli General Secretary Public Services International 4 PUBLIC SERVICES INTERNATIONAL Contents Foreword 3 Executive Summary 6 Digitalization Glossary 11 List of Acronyms 16 INTRODUCTION 17 1 DIGITALIZATION AND PUBLIC SERVICES: A SECTOR-SPECIFIC OVERVIEW 24 1.1 Context and drivers 24 1.2 Central government 25 1.3 Local and regional government 30 1.4 Public utilities 34 1.5 Health and Social Services 37 1.6 Education and culture services 41 1.7 Security, border and emergency services 42 2 IMPACT OF DIGITALIZATION ON PUBLIC SERVICES QUALITY, EFFICIENCY AND ACCESS 46 2.1 Disentangling myth, ideology and reality 46 2.2 Impact on public service access and on the relationship between public services, citizens and users 48 2.3 Impact on privacy and security issues 49 2.4 Impact on efficiency and quality 50 2.5 Impact on public finances 52 3 IMPACT OF DIGITALIZATION ON PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYMENT AND WORKING CONDITIONS 54 3.1 Impacts on employment 54 3.2 Impact on working conditions: The overall picture 56 3.3 Skills and competence requirements 58 3.4 Occupational health and safety 60 3.5 Working time and work-life balance 61 3.6 Work monitoring and surveillance 63 3.7 Impact on existing and new inequalities in the labour market and workforce 64 3.8 ‘Digital Taylorism’: Emergence of precarious forms of employment 66 4 TRADE UNIONS AND PUBLIC SERVICE DIGITALIZATION 68 4.1 Involvement in digitalization-related public policies 70 4.2 Anticipation and managing of digital change and restructuring 73 4.3 Collective agreements setting frameworks for socially just digitalisation 73 4.4 Trade union guides and model collective bargaining agreements 75 4.5 Regulating the impact of digitalization on occupational health and safety 76 4.6 Local level bargaining and direct workers involvement 78 4.7 Shaping and regulating working time, telework and work-life balance 79 4.8 The right to training and qualification 80 4.9 Impact of digitalization on workers and trade union rights 82 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 84 References 88 Annex: Trade unions participating in the study 92 DIGITALIZATION AND PUBLIC SERVICES: A LABOUR PERSPECTIVE 5 Executive Summary 1. This report was commissioned by PSI. In ad- forms of work organization—including in gov- dition to an extensive literature review, the ernment and public services. Public service study finds its main sources in interviews and digitalisation is being actively promoted and information gathered from trade union repre- fostered by international organisations such sentatives from PSI-affiliated organizations as the United Nations (UN), the Organization in different public service sectors around for Economic Cooperation and Development the world, including in Africa (Burkina Faso, (OECD) or the EU Commission to increase ef- Morocco), Asia (South Korea, Singapore, ficiency and improve the quality and accessi- India), North America (Canada, United States), bility of public services. According to the pro- South America (Argentina, Brazil) and Europe ponents of public service digitalisation, digital (Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, technologies and automation would also im- and the United Kingdom). The interviewees prove workers’ working conditions, reduce represent a wide range of public services from health and safety risks and improve their work- central administration and local and regional life balance. government to health and care services, hos- pitals, utilities, police, emergency services 4. However, there are good reasons to doubt and education and cultural services. digitalisation being a win-win recipe for all public services. Evidence suggests that often 2. It focusses on research questions that so far the introduction of digital technologies and au- remain largely unanswered by current litera- tomation is mainly being driven by a will to in- ture. These questions pertain to the introduc- crease productivity and work intensity as well tion of digital technologies across different as cutting jobs. Evidence shows that the pro- public sector service branches and the moti- vision of digital know-how, in both hardware vations that underpin it (1), but also to the im- and software, increases the pressure placed pact of public service digitalisation on service on public authorities to outsource essential quality, effectiveness as well as access to pub- activities, including those related to critical lic services (2). The report then addresses the infrastructure. Furthermore, it is proven that impact of digital technologies and digitalised while digitalisation and the increased use of workplaces and work environments on public digital devices can have positive effects on service employment and working conditions working conditions, they may also be used to (3) and how trade unions have addressed monitor worker performance and behaviour, to these issues by own activities, within social intensify and compress work processes and dialogue and by collective bargaining (4). The surveillance, and to extend working time or at analysis concludes with highlighting key re- least availability. sults as regards the governance systems and regulatory tools that exist (or need to be de- 5. Digitalisation goes beyond past waves of veloped) in order to secure the protection and technology-driven change: The digitalisation interests of public service users and workers in of public services does not only concern the the context of service digitalisation (5). introduction and application of new technol- ogies and tools such as sensors, smart de- 3. A large body of literature has already been
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