Algorithmic Management at Work: Collective Rights and EU Regulatory Responses

Authors

• Mariapaola Aimo, University of Turin, Italy
• Laura Tebano, University of Naples, Italy

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-9878-4178 (Mariapaola Aimo)

0000-0003-4237-0803 (Laura Tebano)

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolving European regulatory framework concerning Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Management in the workplace, focusing on the protection of workers’ collective rights. It first examines the Artificial Intelligence Act, arguing that its product-oriented and risk-based approach inadequately addresses workplace power imbalances. Although employment-related AI is classified as “high risk,” the Artificial Intelligence Act merely grants workers’ representatives a right to information, without ensuring consultation, and reveals a democratic deficit in the implementation phase, where technical standards are shaped by private interests. We then argue that traditional information-and-consultation mechanisms offer limited protection and are inadequate to address the risks and power asymmetries generated by AI and Algorithmic Management. The second part of the study assesses the Platform Work Directive, noting a qualitative leap in labour protection. The Platform Work Directive introduces safeguards that strengthen the freedom of interaction between representatives and those they represent, protecting it from undue interference that could hinder union membership or the exercise of collective rights. However, the study critiques the “transplantation” of traditional, “weak” forms of worker involvement, which remain unadapted to the organisational structures of digital platforms. Then the research assesses recent EU initiatives, highlighting their ambition to extend labour protections beyond the platform economy. The article concludes that effective AI regulation requires moving beyond the transplantation of traditional protective instruments, advocating instead for a constitutional rebalancing between data protection and social competences to foster a new “technological” social dialogue and stronger collective bargaining.

Recommended Citation

Aimo, Mariapaola and Tebano, Laura (2026) "Algorithmic Management at Work: Collective Rights and EU Regulatory Responses," Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal: Vol. 46: Iss. 2, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60082/2819-2567.1139
Available at: https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cllpj/vol46/iss2/7

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