Algorithmic Governance and Co-determination in Norway: Insights from White-Collar Workers and Trade Union Representatives in the Finance and News Media Industries

Abstract

This report focuses on the intersection of algorithmic governance and co-determination in the financial and news media industries of Norway. We interrogate the possibilities and limitations of the Norwegian (micro) model vis-à-vis new data-driven technologies and their impacts on workers. Zooming in on highly skilled white-collar workers in a standard employment relationship in heavily digitised workplaces, we offer a unique view of the perceptions of these white-collar workers and trade union representatives, as well as of the effects of algorithmic governance and co-determination in practice. We show how algorithmic governance and the use of data- driven analytics fundamentally reshape not only how workers are known to employers, and hence, managed, but also how they see themselves and their work. The digital revolution has increased the informational and power asymmetry between the employer and workers, in favour of the employer. Now, more than ever, we need strong trade unions and increased institutional power, national regulation, and training, and competence building for trade union representatives.