TUAC joined Croatian trade unionists, government and OECD representatives in Zagreb this week to address the challenges facing workers amid the digital and green transitions, as Croatia approaches OECD membership. The conference, organised by the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH/UATUC), forms part of TUAC’s broader engagement with trade unions in accession countries to ensure workers’ perspectives are properly taken into account in the process of becoming OECD members.
Joining the OECD requires Croatia to align its policies with OECD standards. This includes upholding the AI Principles – developed with TUAC input – which commit governments to social dialogue on AI deployment. TUAC General Secretary Veronica Nilsson stressed that without robust regulation and meaningful collective bargaining, the rapid spread of algorithmic management tools will deepen workplace inequalities and erode workers’ rights. A recent OECD survey found that nearly four out of five European firms now use such tools, with two thirds deploying them to monitor workers.
TUAC Senior Policy Advisor Sarah Jameson presented detailed evidence of the risks. Worker surveys link algorithmic management to increased stress, reduced autonomy, weakened trust between workers and management, and lower job satisfaction. Companies have also invested in AI tools to predict and interfere with workers’ efforts to organise, in breach of the right to freedom of association.
AI is also disrupting the labour market. Analysis published by the International Monetary Fund estimates that AI is likely to affect 60% of jobs in advanced economies. TUAC warns that high-income workers stand to benefit most, while younger workers may encounter increased difficulty in finding a job as entry-level roles disappear – widening inequality further still.
Croatia’s existing labour market weaknesses add to these risks. The OECD’s Labour Market Review, published in December 2025, identified persistent problems with low pay and poor working conditions – challenges that TUAC argues must be addressed through stronger collective bargaining, higher minimum wages and improved social dialogue.
TUAC advocates for comprehensive regulatory frameworks that oblige employers to consult workers and trade unions on AI deployment, backed by effective enforcement mechanisms. Spain’s 2021 “Rider’s Law” demonstrates that such regulation is achievable – empowering trade unions to challenge algorithmic management and requiring employers to disclose how algorithms affect working conditions. TUAC also pushes for a prohibition on AI being used to undermine freedom of association, and for collective bargaining to shape how productivity gains are distributed – whether through higher wages or reduced working time.
Employers must inform, consult and negotiate with workers and their unions on decisions regarding AI development and deployment in the workplace. Collective bargaining is essential to ensuring that the benefits of AI are shared fairly.
The scheduled peer review of Croatia’s National Contact Point later this year presents a further opportunity to strengthen the grievance mechanism to hold multinational enterprises to account on workers’ rights, building on TUAC’s initial assessment in 2023. TUAC carries out surveys on labour rights and working conditions in each accession country, working closely with trade unions throughout the membership process.
