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Over the past weeks, many of you have contacted us with concerns about how technology is being used at the Fund to monitor us and our work. We wrote to the Fund to raise these concerns, and to specifically ask:

1. Which applications is the Fund looking at introducing?
    
2. What is the function of each application? How is the Fund intending to use the application?
    
3. What kind of surveillance is possible when using the applications? For example, remotely viewing screens, monitoring time in different windows, key stroke logging, remotely accessing cameras and microphones, etc.
    
4. Will the Fund be utilising these surveillance capabilities? If not, what safeguards are in place to ensure that these applications are used for proper purposes, and not employee surveillance?
    
5. What employee data will be collected using these applications?
    
6. Have you completed a health and safety risk assessment for these applications? If so, could you please provide us with a copy.

Consultation on AI

At the JCG meeting, the Fund advised us of their AI policy which the Board endorsed earlier this year. We raised our serious concerns that despite us raising AI and worker surveillance as issues in the bargaining process, the Fund did not consult the FSU on this policy at all. The Fund said that they intended to genuinely consult with us on these issues going forward and we will hold them to that commitment. 

In response to our letter, the Fund said although they are implementing some tools that can theoretically be used for worker surveillance, they are not going to use those capabilities. The Fund said these technologies do not allow reporting on individual workers as the data is aggregated. They said their intention with these tools is to optimise the operations of the Fund, for example through seeing how people use the intranet to optimise its content. Importantly, the Fund said there is a commitment to upskill all employees in these new technologies and there is no intention for there to be any job losses as a result.

We need firm commitments

We welcome these statements from the Fund but given the high level of anxiety around these issues, we will need to see firm commitments from them on these important areas. 

We understand that AI and other new technologies are going to be part of how we all work. However, when any new technology is introduced, it must be done fairly, transparently and in consultation with workers. Importantly, the benefits of these new technologies must be shared with us. 

If you have any thoughts or concerns about how AI and technology are impacting you and your role, reply to this email or contact your FSU organiser Dylan Clements on 0403 947 721 or [email protected].

As things change, it is more important than ever that we are all part of our FSU community. If you are not yet a member, you can join today.