The second lecture in the series on "The Global Debate on the Future of Work," organized by the Center for Global Work and Employment, was held Tuesday, March 5 at the Labor Education Center. Horst Mund (Director of International Development at IG Metall) spoke on "Labor Voice and the Future of Work in Germany."
Summary:
Advanced IT and AI tools are increasingly rolled out in workplaces, leaving the future of work highly uncertain. This presentation reported on the efforts that Germany's largest union is undertaking to make technological change support workers' well-being and freedom, rather than undermine their living standards. Horst Mund focused on two elements in particular. He first covered how the union seeks to stay on top of technological changes, gathering information about developments on the company level to be able to influence the use of technology at the workplace. Subsequently, he addressed the human dimension of the future of work, examining how the IG Metall came to use the collective bargaining agreement to guarantee every metalworker the right to flexibly move between full- and part-time work.
