On 10–11 February 2026, CELSI Managing Director Marta Kahancová participated in the 6th edition of the ETUI Future of Work Conference in Brussels.

The conference, organised by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), focused on how digital technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming labour processes, work organisation, and labour market dynamics - and the challenges this poses for labour law and regulatory frameworks.

The aim of the conference was not only to assess developments to date, but also to advance the discussion on how industrial relations systems can respond to algorithmic management and AI without weakening their protective function.

It opened with Andrew Watt (General Director, ETUI) and Esther Lynch (General Secretary, ETUC). The policy debate featured Chiara Riondino (European Commission), Maxime Cerutti (BusinessEurope), Diana Dovgan (CECOP), and Monica Tepfer (ITUC), chaired by Bart Vanhercke (ETUI).

Marta presented in Session 1: Regulating AI and Algorithmic Management through Collective Bargaining, chaired by Frank Pot, alongside:

• Daniel Perez del Prado (UC3M)
• Ina Atanasova (CITUB)
• Kevin P O’Kelly (ETUI)

Her contribution, titled “Regulate to innovate? Collective bargaining in the age of algorithmic management,” was prepared in collaboration with Gabriele Medas & Intan Citra Phonskaningtyas (WageIndicator), and Tomáš Šarközi & Daryn Zholdasbay (CELSI), based on research conducted with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Competence Centre and UNI Europa.

The presentation demonstrated that collective bargaining is emerging as a key regulatory instrument in addressing technological change at work. The analysis also revealed substantial sectoral and national variation.

The conclusions highlight that the future of AI governance at work will depend not only on legislation, but also on the capacity of social partners to proactively shape technological change through collective bargaining.

🔗 More about the conference and the agenda: https://www.etui.org/events/future-work-exploring-how-digitalisation-reshapes-work-organisation-and-possible-regulatory

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