Open Tech Calendar

We are living in a time of significant change in terms of the work that we do. Traditional forms of work-based organising are being eroded and unions are struggling to maintain their levels of membership, particularly when it come to freelancers and non-contracted workers. Moreover, with the rise of platforms facilitating low-waged, low-security work, technology is currently seen as a force for eroding workers rights.

However, there are examples of innovative technology being used for good, which we will discuss and showcase at this event. We will also examine what more needs to be done to harness technology to support workers and workplaces.

Our speakers include:

Dan Tomlinson

Dan is a researcher at the Resolution Trust – where he’s taken a particular research interest in trends in trade union membership and has worked with Bethnal Green Ventures to launch the WorkerTech programme, which supports start-ups looking to make use of technology to improve work for the better.

Dan will talk about the power imbalances in the workplace, and how we run the risk of technology being used to worsen outcomes for workers in the UK, rather than improve them. But it doesn’t have to be like this. There are reasons to be optimistic about the capacity of unions and other organisations to use tech to improve the world of work.

Nat Whalley

Nat is Executive Director of Organise, a digital platform that gives people the tools, network and confidence to collectively make change happen at work. Nat will talk about how and why she set up Organise, the difficulties she has encountered on the way and the aspirations for the future.

Harry Robbins

Harry will talk about the importance of technology to the labour movement and the opportunities and threats that digital technologies offer to co-operatives, unions and mass-political parties.

He'll talk about the emergence of new worker-owned networks such as CoTech, Happy Dev, TechWorker and Enspiral - and their power to transform both the technology industry and the labour movement. He'll cover the material conditions that have led to the emergence of these structures and some of the challenges that will determine if they succeed or fail.

Harry will also crowdsource ideas to feed into the emerging discussion of the viability of a "trade union digital service" to co-ordinate the digital strategies of trade unions. You can see his latest blog post about this here: outlandish.com

Imogen Farhan

Imogen is Policy and External Affairs Officer at IPSE - the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed. IPSE is a not-for-profit organisation representing the 4.8 million self-employed people in the UK. It is owned and run by its members. IPSE advocates for freelancers through working with government and industry.

Imogen will present IPSE's research on the gig economy, which highlights the diversity of those working in this sector. She will discuss the policy changes that IPSE has developed to better support freelancers, including improving access to training opportunities, better parental rights and defining self-employment in law.