Composite P (covering Amended Motions 65 & 66, and Motions 67, 68 & 69)
AI & Workplace Protection
“That this Congress notes with concern the rapid adoption by employers of machine learning enabled technologies, often referred to as ‘AI’.
“Workers’ rights along with a clear and effective strategy to support workers during change must be at the heart of policymaking around AI and the deployment of these technologies, across all sectors and all platforms.
“Congress believes the introduction of AI into a workplace needs to be tested against the five Fair Work dimensions. AI which does not improve the lives and long-term prospects of workers should be opposed.
“Congress is concerned about the erosion of pathways into employment. AI is used to automate entry-level jobs, making it impossible for young people to enter the workforce.
“Congress notes that:
- that the Scottish Government “Public Service Reform Strategy” published in June 2025 is heavily reliant on what they call “intelligent automation”; which will involve a large scale transfer of ownership and control in public services to the private sector
- generative AI is rapidly transforming work in the entertainment industry, as engagers create digital replicas of a performer’s voice or likeness, and use or licence rights-protected content to train AI models;
- artists frequently find that their image, likeness, or voice has been used in generative AI without consent or remuneration, for uses beyond those originally agreed, and for which engagers rely on broad transfers of rights;
Further Congress notes:
- the announcement in August 2025, of over 500 redundancies of UK-based moderators at TikTok, and the company’s plans to either offshore their jobs or replace them with AI. The whistleblowers’ reports indicate TikTok’s senior leadership purposefully timed these redundancies to thwart the CWU’s national technology branch (UTAW) organising efforts and recognition ballot process;
- in December 2025, Equity held an indicative ballot in which 99% of members working in film and TV said they would take action short of a strike if engagers do not come to an acceptable agreement on AI protections; and
- the government is poised to weaken the protection provided by the copyright regime, by introducing an exception to copyright where content is used for the purpose of training AI.
“Furthermore, Congress recognises the rapid expansion of AI and algorithmic systems across health and social care, including in diagnostic, imaging, workforce, and data-driven functions where clinical decision-making, professional accountability, legal risk, work intensification, deskilling, and patient safety may be impacted by AI deployment. Congress also recognises that artificial intelligence and automated decision-making systems are now increasingly used across the financial services sector, including in recruitment, performance management, customer interaction, compliance and risk assessment.
“Congress therefore calls for:
- mandatory, early trade-union consultation in the procurement, piloting, and deployment of AI technologies in health and social care; and
- a national, independent, evidence-based evaluation and governance framework for AI, prior to routine use.
“Congress calls on the General Council to:
- campaign to introduce Scottish Government policy that helps prevent the offshoring of Scottish jobs and workers roles and jobs being wholly replaced with AI;
- work with trade unions to develop a charter on workers’ rights in the telecom & technology sector, including a strategy to combat offshoring and introduce robust protections regarding AI in the workplace;
- In partnership with unions, urgently review skills provisions within sectors, such as retail and distribution, which are heavily impacted by AI and workplace technology, and lobby Skills Development Scotland to develop a strong and effective skills strategy;
- run education sessions for workers about the opportunities and risks of’ AI, including how generative models work and their environmental, social, and human rights impacts, and how trade unions can best protect jobs, workers’ rights’ and communities in Scotland;
- give full support to Equity’s campaign to secure AI protections for performers in its collective agreements;
- lobby the Scottish Government and MSPs to endorse Equity’s calls for the UK Government to introduce personality rights, through which artists could better protect and licence their voice, likeness, and other aspects of their personal image;
- campaign against the UK Government’s intended introduction of a ‘text and data mining exception’ to copyright protection;
- campaign for AI and automated decision-making in financial services to be subject to meaningful union consultation and collective bargaining;
- defend workers’ rights to transparency, explanation, and challenge where AI systems influence workplace decisions;
- oppose the use of AI for intrusive surveillance, excessive monitoring, or unfair performance management;
- promote Fair Work principles, equality, and inclusion in all technological change;
- support union-led frameworks and training to equip reps to negotiate AI deployment in workplaces;
- campaign for the adoption in Scotland of an equivalent regulatory framework to the EU AI Act, including mandatory consultation on any AI use the EU would deem to be ‘high risk’; and
- campaign for a complete ban on algorithmic/automated people management, a requirement for generative AI output to be labelled as such and the retention of entry-level jobs which are vulnerable to replacement by generative AI.”
Mover: Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
Seconder: Communication Workers Union (CWU)
Supporters: The Society of Radiographers
Equity
Aegis the Union
Unison
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW)
NASUWT
RSS