On 20 and 21 February 2024, the international event ‘Future of Work: Reclaiming the Value of Work in the Digital Economy’ was held in Leuven, Belgium - an important opportunity to discuss the impact of new technologies on the world of work, organized by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). Now in its fifth edition, the conference brought together over a hundred researchers and stakeholders and was attended by representatives of the European Commission and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Among the speakers was Nicolas Pons-Vignon, a researcher at the SUPSI Competence Centre for Labour, Welfare and Social Research (CLWS).

The event explored the implications of generative artificial intelligence and algorithmic management, focusingon job quality and the adequacy of existing regulatory models. In a context where platform work and digitalisation are redefining the European labour market, participants discussed the challenges related to the regulation and sustainability of current legal and social doctrines.

Nicolas Pons-Vignon presented his study entitled ‘Power resources and the last-mile problem in logistics. Reflections on a Swiss labour struggle’, in which he analysed the condition of last-mile logistics workers in Switzerland - those responsible for the final stage of the distribution chain, delivering goods to end customers. This sector has become increasingly central with the growth of e-commerce and home deliveries, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the symbolic recognition these workers received during that period, their vulnerability and precarious working conditions have remained unchanged.

Based on the Power Resources Approach (PRA) and research on the ‘Amazonisation’ of logistics - a phenomenon in which many companies, even without Amazon's direct presence, adopt its organisational practices to limit  workers mobilisation - Pons-Vignon highlighted how last-mile logistics, although often overlooked in studies on labour organisation, represents a sector with high potential for worker mobilisation. Contributing to the debate on how digital capitalism dynamics affect workers' abilty to organise and assert their rights, his research demonstrates that the success of mobilisations depends on several factors, including protection against dismissal for union activists and the ability to form militant worker collectives.
To support his arguement, the researcher analysed the case of the DPD couriers' struggle in Switzerland, highlighting the ambitious yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt to gain recognition for the workers' collective and the union of their choice.
The case study provides valuable insights into the future of the digital economy and the role that workers can play in its transformation.

Nicols Pons-Vignon's study was published as part of a special issue of the New Political Economy journal. The full article was coordinated with Uma Rani, Senior Economist at the International Labour Organization (ILO), and is available here.