Security at work in an uncertain world III

FEPS and Progressive Britain are partnering up on a major new project on the future of work and the need for social democrats to create and promote a new politics of work.

Work is central to most of our lives. However, due to rapid social, economic, and technological changes worldwide, it is changing at a pace that politicians and policymakers need help to keep up with. For the public who bear the brunt of these shifts, the causes behind them seem distant and their leaders powerless. Despite this, parties worldwide have struggled to develop a politics that speaks to the mounting uncertainty and looks to the future with optimism and the prospect of a better life.

Following previous events in London, Stockholm, and Berlin, this roundtable was part of a series bringing together experts and politicians from around Europe to wrest control of the debate back from technocrats and put forward a new politics of work.

The starting point of the discussion was the policy study ‘A progressive politics of work for the age of unpeace‘ published by FEPS and Progressive Britain with the main findings from comparing the three different approaches in the UK, Sweden and Germany. We heard interventions from social democrats and trade unionists on the European dimension of the politics of work. This roundtable aimed to learn from the European model of industrial relations: how is it evolving in light of today’s challenges? And what can others learn from that?

Agenda of the roundtable:

15:30 Opening by Gerard Rinse Oosterwijk, Digital Policy Analyst of FEPS

15:35 Welcoming words by László Andor, Secretary General of FEPS and former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

15:40 Presentation by Frederick Harry Pitts, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Director at the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus of his policy Study:

• ‘Security, social democracy and the politics of work in an age of unpeace. What Labour can learn from the European centre-left’ (to be published)

15:55 Opening statements by first discussants:

• Andrea Glorioso, Policy officer at the “Future of Work, Youth Employment” unit, DG EMPL at the European Commission;
• Prof. Nicky Dries, Professor of Organizational Behavior that runs the Future of Work Lab within the Faculty of Economics of KU Leuven;
• Daniel Samaan (online), Senior Economist and Future of Work Expert at International Labour Organization;
• Mehtap Akgüç, Senior researcher Economic, Employment and Social Policies Unit at ETUI.

16:45 Discussion between all discussants and other roundtable participants

17:25 Closing remarks by Frederick Harry Pitts

17:30 Networking reception

The session was a small, closed roundtable event operating on Chatham House rules. Unattributed (or attributed where agreed) insights from the discussion will feed into a policy brief published later this year.