Episode 20: Countering divisive workplace narratives

25 Surge pricing and dynamic wages - a warning

In this episode, Simon and Martin chat with James Farrer –an expert in the impact of dynamic (or surge) pricing on wages.  In a must-hear conversation, reference is made to a number of live or recent-past court cases and recent research papers.  Listeners may want to check out some or all of the following: The TUC report on dynamic pay, based on testimonyfrom a number of Uber drivers, is here [https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-04/dynamicpay.pdf].  The so-called Article 22 legal case is set in context by this press release [https://www.workerinfoexchange.org/post/drivers-in-uk-and-europe-set-to-sue-uber-for-unfair-pay-set-by-algorithm] and is co-ordinated by the Worker Info Exchange – read more here [http://www.dynamicpay.org/]. Information on the 2016 Employment Tribunal, and thesubsequent Supreme Court ruling,  against Uber is here [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/19/uber-drivers-workers-uk-supreme-court-rules-rights]. The Harvard Business School paper on  “Dynamic Pricing Algorithms, Consumer Harm, and Regulatory Response” is here [•https:/www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/22-050_ec28aaca-2b94-477f-84e6-e8b58428ba43.pdf],  and the Columbia Law Review, “On Algorithmic Wage Discrimination” by Veena Dubal is here [•%09https:/columbialawreview.org/content/on-algorithmic-wage-discrimination]. The Worker Info Exchange paper on “Dying for Data, How the gig economy public data deficit conceals £1.9 billion in wage theft, runaway carbon emissions, and a health & safety catastrophe?”  is here [https://5b88ae42-7f11-4060-85ff-4724bbfed648.usrfiles.com/ugd/5b88ae_42373af19d2b4d8995f24005ba01153e.pdf]. The RUSI [https://www.rusi.org/] paper on “How Ride-Share Apps Collect and Store Data: A National Security Risk?” is here [https://static.rusi.org/307_RideShareData-EI.pdf] and Chris Schmidt’s paper “From the CIA to Uber via the Oxford MBA” is here [https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/oxford-experience/blogs/chris-schildt/cia-uber-oxford-mba]. AI is advancing exponentially, and the principles ofdynamic/surge pricing will surely leach into wage setting.  The time to understand organise, and write a different future for the labour movement is now.

24 Union cultures and union building feat. Becky Wright

In this episode Simon and Martin chat with Unions 21 [https://unions21.org/] Executive Director Becky Wright about some ground breaking work on union culture, and how this ties in with union building.  Spoiler alert – sometimes it helps, at others in obstructs. But the inter-relationship between culture, strategy, and resources is still little-understood, little-studied and little-exposed.  Hear what is being done to change all this by listening today!  You may also be interested in the Unions 21 report [https://unions21.org/ideas/all-ideas/culture-and-unions-building-organisations-fit-for-the-future]on union culture, and Martin’s blog [https://unions21.org/ideas/all-ideas/view-from-the-movement-creating-a-culture-open-to-change] on the same theme.

23 Building social change feat. Jane Holgate, John Page

In this episode, Simon and Martin chat with the authors ofChangemakers – Radical Strategies for Social Movement Organising, Jane Holgate and John Page, who both have long and distinguished involvement in the theory and practice of organising. At the heart of the debate is how to operate in acomplex and conflicting environment of union cultures, legislative frameworks and employer obfuscation – and (spoiler alert!) there is no checklist for success.  Quoting Marshall Ganz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-ganz-129a5617/] John sums it up thus: “If you want to build power, you have to cede control.”  You can hear Jane talking about other areas of her work in this [https://on.soundcloud.com/fyGiDjV7NyamMaWryU]Unions21 podcast, and John and Jane discuss the more research-orientated content of their book in this [https://shows.acast.com/64f9ab491e6de800115f344b/67da87adf48da980924f5da6]Transforming Society episode. Jane Holgate [https://business.leeds.ac.uk/research-ceric/staff/521/jane-holgate] is Professor of Work and EmploymentRelations at the University of Leeds and a Trustee of the Ella Baker School of Organising. John Page [https://www.ellabakerorganising.org.uk/about] serves on the committee of the Ella Baker School of Organising. Changemakers [https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/changemakers] by Jane Holgate and John Page is available on Policy Press [https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/changemakers] for £14.99 here [https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/changemakers].

22 How to be "aggresively hopeful" feat. Dave Pike

In this episode we chat with Dave Pike, the TUC’s RegionalSecretary for the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside.  Dave walks us through an ambitious plan to boost the profile and effectiveness of union engagement in a politically diverse landscape, and how his own experiences organising workers in hospitality, catering and education make him “aggressively hopeful” for the future.  We wish all our listeners a peaceful festive season and a healthy, happy new year.

21 No Sweat and union building feat. Jay Kerr

Our special guest for this episode is No Sweat convenor JayKerr.  He reminds us that when NS set upshop nearly 30 years ago, “sweatshop” was a term little understood. Changing perceptions and understanding is just one of the many achievements of Jay and his colleagues.  Our discussion dives deep into the politics and practicalities fo consumer boycotts,  how to give meaning and life to international trade union solidarity, and what this can contribute to union building at home.  The key takeaway -   we can all make a difference as individualsand as part of the union movement.  Visit nosweat.org.uk [http://www.nosweat.org.uk/] for more on the campaign. For signposting and background see Simon’s post on the Loudshirts [https://www.makes-you-think.com/loudshirts-blog/] blog. Run time 30m24s. First published 28 November 2025.