On September 7th, union delegates and workers in urban public transport (UPT) met in Dublin for a workshop on autonomous vehicles (AVs). The workshop, organised by ETF affiliate SIPTU, is the first in a series of meetings taking place across Europe in which UPT workers and their unions will strategise and discuss the introduction of AVs.
Participants discussed the risks and opportunities presented by this new technology for workers as well as public transport as a whole. They raised concerns such as job losses, questions of cybersecurity, and safety of passengers in vehicles with no human driver. However, there was also hope that AVs could be used to improve public transport services for citizens and upskill UPT professions, leading to better jobs.
While full-scale deployment of AVs is still many years away, the legislation and business models that will govern AVs are being developed right now. UPT workers and their unions must be included in these discussions!
ETF’s work on the topic continues with further workshops across Europe as part of a project, supported financially by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s Centre on the Future of Work, that aims to prepare ETF affiliates for the deployment of AVs in UPT.
