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31 Dec 21, 28 tweets, 19 min read
📢THE YEAR IN WORK📢

So here's my rundown on this year’s biggest developments in the world of work. From Covid, to attempts to regulate the gig economy, 2021 has seen massive changes to how we work, and how we respond to these challenges. Here are the 12 biggest stories...
1⃣ THE GIG IS UP!

2021 has been a real turning point in the fight for #gigeconomy rights. The year kicked off with the UK Supreme Court ruling that Uber drivers were entitled to employment rights, followed weeks later by Deliveroo’s disastrous stock market debut.
Regulation also took centre stage, with Spain’s rider law, followed by the European Commission’s platform work proposal. In the US, Prop 22, the ballot proposal promoted by Uber and other gig companies which sought to overturn gig worker rights, was ruled unconstitutional.
Gig worker strikes extended beyond the usual suspects. The Stuart/JustEat industrial action became the longest to take place in the UK. Gorillas riders in Germany took industrial action & set up a works council. South Korean delivery workers took action against several employers.
2⃣ COVID EXPOSES CRACKS IN THE SYSTEM

The pandemic exposed the limitations of our social safety nets and the tremendous pressures faced by our health systems. Healthcare workers took industrial action over staffing, pay and conditions across the world, from Germany to Nigeria.
It also exposed how many key workers were struggling, with the TUC reporting that 1 million children in key worker families were living in proverty.

But we also saw an uptick in industrial action by many of these workers in sectors like transport, refuse, and supermarket work.
In transport, it meant that unions were in dispute with bus companies such as Stagecoach, Arriva and First Bus, as well as train operators.

Refuse workers won across the country, from Thurrock to Glasgow, and we found a new hero in “Chris Mitchell from the GMB trade union”.
In Brazil, thousands of sex workers went on strike, demanding to be included in the list of essential workers that receive priority Covid vaccines, in one of the biggest actions ever taken by sex workers.

france24.com/en/live-news/2…
3⃣ MONITORING

The pandemic meant work from home started to become the norm for many, but with it came the new risk of remote monitoring by employers. In response, Portugal has passed a law prohibiting remote monitoring and contacting workers after working hours.
4⃣ 4-DAY WEEK

The pandemic also increased the appetite for thinking about work in a different way. The biggest ever 4-day week trial was found to be a success, with 86% of Icelandic workers now having reduced hours or ability to opt into reduced hours.
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
5⃣ INFLATION

Supply shocks have also led to an sharp increase in inflation in the UK, resulting in falls in real wages. The TUC calculates that real pay in the UK is now below its 2008 peak. It’ll be interesting to see how unions respond to this in 2022.

6⃣ SHORTAGES

The shock caused by the pandemic exacerbated supply chain issues and resulted in labour shortages in a handful of sectors. In the UK, this gave particular leverage to HGV drivers who won significant victories, with pay rises as high as 30%.
7⃣US PRIVATE SECTOR STRIKES

The US didn’t see a dispute nearing the size of the 2018/19 teacher strikes, but there was a notable increase in private sector strikes, especially among household names such as Kellogs, Frito Lay, Nabisco and John Deere.
theguardian.com/us-news/2021/d…
8⃣UNION RENEWAL

Two of the biggest unions in the US and the UK - The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Unite - had radical changes in leadership, with the winning candidates promising to reform the unions, and strengthen rank and file organising.
9⃣ GENERAL STRIKES

Globally, we saw several general strikes with broader political demands. Workers in Myanmar went on strike weeks after the military seized power.

For the first time in decades, Palestinians in Israel & the occupied territories took coordinated strike action.
🔟INDIAN FARMERS DEFEAT MODI

Farmers in India pushed president Modi to repeal controversial farm laws, after a year of sustained protests, which saw over 700 lose their lives. There is now talk of a general strike by workers in other sectors in 2022.
theguardian.com/world/2021/nov…
1⃣1⃣ SEASONAL WORKERS
Farm work was also under the spotlight in the UK, as the government’s seasonal worker scheme failed to cover shortages. Several outlets reported the awful conditions faced by some workers & the HSE said that deaths in the sector had doubled over the year.
A long awaited government review of the seasonal worker pilot was finally published on Christmas Eve, revealing that almost a quarter of workers reported racism, discrimination, or mistreatment by managment.
gov.uk/government/pub…
1⃣2⃣REPRESSION

There has also been a move to curtail people’s ability to fight for their rights, most notably with the Police and Crime bill, which would significantly limit how people can protest. More specific restrictions on UK unions were also introduced late in the year.
Globally, Colombia continues to be the most dangerous country for trade unionists, with 22 killed in a year. Union leaders were arrested in places like South Korea & Thailand, while the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions disbanded in light of the new security law.
That’s it. I know I missed a lot out, some of those will be oversights, some will be cuts that had to be made because of length, and others will be developments which I consider to be a bit over-hyped. But tell me what you think. What are your top work stories of the year?
In case you missed them. Here are the weekly threads for July and August:
27 July

2 Aug

9 Aug

16 Aug

23 Aug

30 Aug
September/October:
6 Sept

13 Sept

20 Sept

27 Sept

4 Oct

11 Oct

18 Oct

25 Oct
And November/December:
1 Nov

8 Nov

15 Nov

22 Nov

29 Nov

6 Dec

13 Dec
I wanted to share a few other fantastic round-ups of big events in the world of work. To start off, @elia_petros has done a list of @UVWunion's 21 highlights of 2021, from their successful care workers' campaign to launching the union's hispanic section.
Barrister @jasonbraier's regular threads explaining & analysing UK employment law decisions are absolutely invaluable. Here's his rundown of the 10 biggest cases of the year.
Over the last year, it's been an absolute joy to read dozens of articles written by trade union organisers and lay reps, which have been comissioned and published by @tribunemagazine. To mark the year, they've published this rundown of worker victories. tribunemag.co.uk/2021/12/worker…
I love to stay up-to-date with what's going on in the US, but sometimes the coverage can be a bit overhyped. That's why I loved this yearly review by Belabored. They cut through the crap and provide vital context so you understand what's really going on. sarahljaffe.com/2021/12/17/bel…

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