Worker voice and empowerment - unions and organising in the digital age

This event is part of a WorkerTech event series brought to you by Bethnal Green Ventures and sponsored by Resolution Trust and Accenture with events in London, Bristol and Manchester to bring together those interested to explore new approaches to use technology to help workers and unions create better and fairer working conditions for all.

This event explores where technology could be used to improve access to skill development, career advice and the opportunities to empower workers to progress at work, as well as increasing bargaining power and making flexibility beneficial for workers as well as employers.

This event is being delivered as a partnership between Tech4GoodBristol and TechforGoodBath.

6pm Doors Open, 6.15 events start
Case studies
Panel discussion and Q&A
Networking
8.30pm Close

Through a panel discussion we will explore how tech can enable workers, but also where it may not fill the gap for union organising and their ability to support workers. We will also showcase tech tools to empower workers to improve their prospects at work, for example by pooling information and organising.

Speakers to include:
Trade Union Congress (TUC): TUC have been working on a long-term digital project that will help engage with and organise younger workers better and a campaign for apprentices with a greater emphasis on social media engagement.

Organise: Organise is the UK’s workplace campaigning site. Our mission is to give people the tools, network and confidence to make change happen in their workplace. Through Organise people can start their own campaigns - using surveys, petitions, crowdfunding and email/call/tweet to target to influence the companies they work for to change their employment practices. Anyone taking part joins the Organise community, creating networks of people in companies and sectors across the UK who can share their experiences and join together to campaign for change.

Wendy Liu: Wendy Liu is a software developer and former startup founder who left the tech industry to study inequality at the London School of Economics. These days, she writes about the political economy of Silicon Valley and why tech workers need to unionise. She is an editor for New Socialist and Notes From Below.

SPEaC (Staff Participation Engagement and Communication Tool) : The "Happy App" for proactive engagement with NHS staff: During an unprecedented period of change and increasing financial constraint, it is imperative that NHS staff feel engaged, valued and supported at work to enable them to deliver such care. There is a growing body of evidence showing that that engaged staff deliver better care with better patient experience, fewer errors, and lower infection and mortality rates. The Happy App is an interactive web-based tool using real-time feedback from staff.

Emily Kent: BeeBooked, a digital platform that enables people to trade their skills locally. The target users for this new app are those who have skills they want to use and earn from, but through choice or current circumstances do not work in a traditional full-time environment. For tutors, bookkeepers, makers, trainers, advisers, designers and more, beebooked aims to increase local connectivity, reduce isolation, enhance productivity and empower those who want to fit work around their other commitments.

Sponsors for this event are:
http://resolutiontrust.org/
https://bethnalgreenventures.com/
https://www.accenture.com/gb-en/company-corporate-citizenship