The iMET project ‘Innovating social dialogue and collective bargaining towards artificial intelligence in the MET Industries’ has been launched with a kick-off meeting on 26 June. The project partners at European level include CEEMET and industriAll Europe (associated partners), employers’ organisations from Croatia, Poland, Spain, Serbia and Latvia, and trade union federations from Croatia, France, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Romania and Serbia, with additional expertise from the NOVA University in Lisbon.
The project is focused on improving the capacities of social partners to be informed, consulted and engaged in the digital transformation of sector companies and the monitoring of the effects on employment, job requirements and working conditions. It will assess the impact of digitalisation and AI on jobs, more specifically the impact of AI on occupational health and safety, human resource management, data protection and skills needs.
Social dialogue is crucial for promoting responsible development, deployment and regulation of AI technologies that are in line with societal values and that contribute positively to human well-being. This is why an ethically inclusive approach is highly important when integrating AI in the metal industry.
During the June kick-off meeting, the project partners advocated for including more diverse perspectives into the decision-making process. Through the continuous exchange of ideas, the project aims to provide social partners with the necessary knowledge of artificial intelligence and its role in shaping social dialogue.
As part of the project, four e-manuals will be created on Occupational Health and Safety; Human Resource Management; Data protection; and the skills needs to promote responsible development, deployment and regulation of artificial intelligence within these fields. The e-manuals will contain a set of guidelines for social dialogue that will enable social partners in the European MET industries to better understand AI-based systems in the workplace.
The project will additionally produce tutorials, creative videos and publications that will be translated into local languages and will involve
over 900 participants in European and national workshops.