Digitalisation of work in aerospace manufacturing: expanding union frames and repertoires of action in Belgium, Canada and Denmark

Abstract

The digitalisation of work is associated with a range of technologies, including digital platforms and so-called artificial intelligence (AI), as well as ideas about how they will improve productivity and competitiveness. This article analyses how unions anticipate the consequences of digital technologies and how they mobilise to address their impact on employment, skills, and quality of work. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in aerospace manufacturing in Belgium (Wallonia), Denmark and Canada (Quebec), our findings suggest that unions are mobilising contrasting frames and repertoires of action, drawing on traditional institutions, and experimenting with new ones to shape the future of work in the aerospace industry.

Introduction to the Transfer special issue. Regulating AI at work: labour relations, automation, and algorithmic management

“…Garneau, Pérez Lauzon and Lévesque (2023) again present complementary findings on the importance of both traditional institutions and creative actor strategies in their comparison of union responses to the digitalisation of work in aerospace manufacturing in Belgium (Wallonia), Denmark and Canada (Quebec). In this sector, the technological changes they describe have been incremental, including through computer numerical control, computer-aided engineering tools and design systems, and robotisation and automation, including the internet of things, 3D printing, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.…”

Determinants of union strategies towards the twin digital and green transitions in the German and Belgian automotive industry

“…While research on unions stresses that contexts and environments do not determine their strategy, it is widely recognised that national ER institutions do influence union strategy (see also Garneau et al, 2023).…”

“…While research on unions stresses that contexts and environments do not determine their strategy, it is widely recognised that national ER institutions do influence union strategy (see also Garneau et al, 2023). However, insufficient insights are often offered into the interaction between national political economy institutions and the strategies of organised interests within different institutional systems (Doellgast et al, 2018).…”

What makes work better or worse? An analytical framework

“…The implementation of technological change in a way that leads to greater worker autonomy and skills is more likely if strong unions are involved in negotiating high-performance work systems (Gautié et al, 2018; Rutherford, 2021). Through the creation of industrial clusters, research organisations, training centres and other institutions, public policy can also create new spaces and opportunities for actors, particularly trade unions and firms, in coalition with other actors, to embrace deliberative processes and collective decisions about their trajectories and how to make work better (Bosch and Schmitz-Kießler, 2020; Garneau et al, 2023; Pulignano et al, 2023). Garneau et al (2023) emphasise that whether trade unions view the trade-off between employment, skills and autonomy as a threat or an opportunity depends on their experience and trust in their institutions.…”