The MEPs have voted to recommend new European Union rules aimed at ensuring transparent and fair use of automated monitoring and decision-making systems in the workplace.
The European Parliament adopted the legislative initiative report with 451 votes in favour, 45 against, and 153 abstentions, according to a statement issued by the parliamentary press service on Wednesday.
The recommendations focus on algorithmic management systems — digital tools that use algorithms to oversee tasks or make decisions normally carried out by managers.
The MEPs have called for stronger human oversight wherever these systems are used in employment, so that key decisions affecting workers are never made by an automated system alone.
Workers should have the right to ask for explanations of decisions made or influenced by algorithmic management, and be able to request a review if they believe their rights have been violated, the European Parliament said.
The proposal also suggests that steps such as hiring or dismissing an employee, or changes to pay, must always involve a human decision-maker with the option for further review.
Calls for transparency and data protection
The recommendations urge that workers be informed how algorithmic management systems influence working conditions, the type of data being processed, and the measures in place to ensure human involvement, according to the European Parliament’s statement.
The proposal also seeks a ban on the processing of sensitive data related to workers’ emotions, psychological or neurological information, private communications, or geolocation data outside working hours.
The European Parliament’s recommendations state that using these systems should not harm employees’ wellbeing or safety, and workers should be consulted when such technologies are introduced in areas affecting pay, evaluations, or working hours.
These measures would build upon current EU laws governing artificial intelligence and data protection — including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the AI Act, and the Platform Work Directive.
Following the adoption of the report, the European Commission has three months to respond with details about its next steps or explain any refusal to put forward a legislative proposal.
