About the project
The Irel project encompasses three cases of digital transformation that show different implications for work patterns and industrial relations:
“Irel- Smarter Industrial Relations to Address New Technological Challenges in the World of Work” (March 2019 to February 2021), Co-funded by the European Commission, DG EMPL, under the Budget Heading 04.03.01.08 Improving Expertise in the Field of Industrial Relations.
It pursues three main goals: to analize the way in which industrial relations players and practices are coping with the problems that arise from the transformation of employment patterns prompted by technological innovation; to promote transnational dialogue, exchange of information and benchmarking of best practices; to put forward policy proposals aimed at providing innovative and effective solutions to the problems of collective representation and regulation of employment relations in digitized workplaces.
The “digital transformation” of production processes poses landmark challenges for the organization of the workplace and the related employment patterns. Such challenges call into question the regulatory role of industrial relations and the capacity of social partners to promote fair working conditions along with a smooth adjustment of companies to the new determinants of competitiveness.
Industry 4.0 represents a world in which virtual and physical systems of manufacturing cooperate globally with each other in a flexible way, to offer highly customized products and services, and this has a profound impact on employment relations.
Platform work is a form of employment that uses online platforms to match the supply and demand for labour. The types of work offered through platforms are ever-increasing, giving rise to significant challenges for existing regulatory frameworks.
Smart work is a new model of working adopting information technology to allow work to take place “anytime, anywhere” and to balance personal needs, space, time and responsibility, with a view to improving employee performance and job satisfaction.
News
Italy, Order of the Court of Bologna: Frank is a discriminatory algorithm
31 December 2020 – The Court of Bologna sentenced Deliveroo Italia srl for discriminatory conduct with reference to the conditions of access to the booking of work sessions through the digital platform.
Germany, Judgement of the Federal Labour Court: crowd workers can be qualified as employees
1 December 2020 – The ninth Senate of the Federal Labour Court stated that crowdworkers can have an employment relationship with the crowdsourcer.
Italy, Judgement of the Court of Palermo, No. 7283/2020
20 November 2020 – The Court of Palermo stated that rider has a full-time and open-ended employment relationship with the company Fooihno srl (Glovo).
PARTNERS
ContacT us
Marco Biagi Foundation is a lead applicant of the European Project “iRel-Smarter Industrial Relations to Address New Technological Challenges in the World of Work”
Phone number: +059 205 6042
Email: irelproject@gmail.com
Address: Largo Marco Biagi, 10, 41121 Modena (Italy)