New sectoral network to tackle the challenges of digitalisation and robotisation

As Industry 5.0 takes shape, we must make sure that workers are not just adapting to change but actively shaping it.

IndustriAll Europe has launched its new Digital Technology and Robotisation Sectoral Network. The new network brings together the former ICT and Mechanical Engineering sectoral networks in response to the growing integration of digital systems and advanced machinery across European industry.

The network will focus on anticipating the impact of artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics on jobs, working conditions, and skills, while influencing EU industrial, digital, and employment policies to ensure fair outcomes for workers.

Discussions at the launch on 30 September in Brussels centred on the EU’s digital and AI strategies, machinery legislation, and developments in the ICT and semiconductor industries. The focus was on sharing experiences, learning from one another and exchanging good practices, for example regarding collective bargaining agreements on digitalisation. Participants emphasised the importance of developing common demands and practical tools to help unions respond to rapid technological change, such as training on the impact of AI use in companies and its implications for employment.

“This new network brings together trade union activists from key industrial sectors at the heart of Europe’s digital and green transitions,” said Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe.

“As Industry 5.0 takes shape, we must make sure that workers are not just adapting to change but actively shaping it. Our aim is to influence European policies on industrial strategy and digitalisation so that technological innovation supports quality jobs in Europe.”