Digitalisation of the economy and its impact on labour markets —

<strong>Digitalisation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>economy</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>its</strong> <strong>impact</strong> on labour markets
compounded by social divisions to create an excluded population <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
digitally disadvantaged. This is a significant emerging social challenge.’
Questions about jobs (creation/destruction/restructuring), working conditions,
quality <strong>of</strong> employment in <strong>the</strong> new digital services, <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> involvement <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> trade unions in <strong>the</strong> 2015-2018 strategy, would seem to be some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dark
corners where <strong>the</strong> government initiative fears to tread.
It is to be noted that <strong>the</strong> United Kingdom Government is deeply committed to
a digital strategy for digital access to all public <strong>and</strong> administrative services : HM
Revenue <strong>and</strong> Customs (HMRC), Department for Transport (DFT), Department
for Work <strong>and</strong> Pensions (DWP), Ministry <strong>of</strong> Justice (MOJ), Department for
Business Innovation <strong>and</strong> Skills (BIS), etc. This strategy is an extension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
reform <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Civil Service already underway 50 , <strong>the</strong> fundamental idea being to
create a ‘digital platform’ <strong>of</strong> all administrative services.
The trade unions have not failed to react on this topic. At <strong>its</strong> 2014 Congress,
<strong>the</strong> TUC expressed some doubts as to <strong>the</strong> real intentions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> government:
to improve public services or cut down on resources? ‘Congress recognises that
effective <strong>and</strong> efficient public services are a shared goal <strong>of</strong> citizens, governments
<strong>and</strong> public servants. Public services are now in an almost permanent cycle <strong>of</strong>
reform, both to deliver efficiencies <strong>and</strong> meet <strong>the</strong> changing expectations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
public. Digitisation <strong>of</strong> public services has become <strong>the</strong> new mantra <strong>of</strong> politicians
but should be seen as an opportunity to improve services for <strong>the</strong> public, not
solely as a fur<strong>the</strong>r rationale to reduce resources (TUC 2014a).
The trade union fear is also that digital access to public services is likely to
marginalise even fur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> poorest sections <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> population (on account <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> costs <strong>of</strong> computers, subscriptions to internet, <strong>and</strong> so forth) as well as
disabled persons: ‘The removal <strong>of</strong> face-to-face services in favour <strong>of</strong> telephone
helplines <strong>and</strong> online-only services can have a significant <strong>impact</strong> on disabled
people, especially those with mental health impairments. Conference is also
concerned at reports that public service cuts are leading to a reduction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
availability <strong>of</strong> documentation in accessible formats’.
Thus, ‘in <strong>the</strong> transport industries, digitalization <strong>and</strong> automation are leading to
ticket <strong>of</strong>fice closures <strong>and</strong> staffing cuts that are making public transport less
accessible to disabled people. For public transport to be fully accessible,
disabled <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r passengers need <strong>the</strong> opportunity to get face-to-face
assistance from staff’ (TUC 2014b). This is why <strong>the</strong> TUC Disabled Workers’
committee is instructed to campaign:
— for public services to provide <strong>the</strong> option <strong>of</strong> drop-in face to face services
<strong>and</strong> to ensure all information continues to be available in accessible
formats;
— to publicise legal challenges to online-only transactions;
50. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service-reform
WP 2016.02
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