ETF Logistics Conference 2024: Confronting Subcontracting, Surveillance, and Exploitation in Europe’s Logistics Sector
Union leaders, policymakers, and experts gathered at the European Transport Workers’ Federations’ (ETF) Logistics Conference, to address pressing issues impacting workers in the logistics sector. Discussions highlighted the rising prevalence of subcontracting, increasing workplace surveillance, and the urgent need for legislative change to protect vulnerable workers across Europe.
Subcontracting: A Threat to Workers’ Rights
Days after a major mobilisation in front of the European parliament on the subject, subcontracting in logistics supply chains emerged as a major concern, with speakers highlighting how it exacerbates inequality, undermines workers’ rights, and complicates unionisation efforts. Workers often are left in the dark about who their actual employer is, making them vulnerable while employers escape accountability and transparency. MEP Johan Danielsson (S&D) called for “clear commitments to limit subcontracting,” noting that current laws often facilitate labor exploitation.
Speakers and participants emphasised that reforms must extend beyond national borders, demanding European-wide action to ensure greater transparency, enhanced job stability, and the enforcement of labor standards.
Surveillance and Algorithmic Management: The Future of Work?
Expert speakers also tackled the growing use of surveillance technologies and AI in logistics. Professor Michel Molé detailed the invasive surveillance practices in the sector, such as cameras installed in Amazon delivery vehicles and wearable devices that control workers’ movements in warehouses. While GDPR can provide some protection, union representatives stressed the need for more robust legislation and better enforcement to safeguard workers’ privacy and rights.
Several union representatives noted that AI in logistics is not neutral, warning that “algorithms are designed to maximize profit at the expense of workers’ conditions.” Unions are demanding stronger legal frameworks to regulate algorithmic management and ensure that technology serves workers rather than exploiting them.
Global Solidarity: Ensuring Accountability in Supply Chains
Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), underscored the importance of holding multinational corporations accountable throughout the supply chain. With their international federations, “unions have the tools to ensure companies are held accountable from the warehouse to the boardroom,” Cotton said. He also underlined that unions must target the giants of the global supply chain and their final clients, leveraging international solidarity to pressure companies to be accountable for their chains of production and distribution.
Looking Forward: Building Union Power
ETF General Secretary Livia Spera concluded with a call to action, urging transport unions to mobilize across Europe. “We need to bring people together and fight the urge of logistics companies to individualize work relations. We are preparing a major mobilization in March to make our voices heard,” Spera declared, stressing the importance of strong collective action to confront the challenges facing transport workers.
