Events

Challenges for Fair Work and Equality in an Age of Transformation

Date: 20 - 21 January 2027
Speakers: Plenary speakers include Professor Rae Cooper, Professor of Gender, Work and Employment Relations and founding Director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work, University of Sydney
Venue: Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester

Overview

The Work and Equalities Institute (WEI) is pleased to announce its Seventh Fairness at Work (Fairwrc) Conference, held as part of the Institute’s 10th anniversary celebrations.

The world of work is being reshaped by rapid technological change, environmental transition, demographic shifts and evolving forms of employment and organisation. These transformations raise urgent questions about fairness, equality, wellbeing, worker voice and the future of decent work. In this context, multidisciplinary dialogue among diverse actors and projects is vital for identifying sustainable directions and addressing the challenge of developing an inclusive, transformative language of fairness, grounded in concrete initiatives, commitments and accountabilities.

Addressing these issues is central not only to social justice but also to sustainable economic development, inclusive growth and democratic renewal. Reflecting WEI’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and engagement, the conference brings together academics and practitioners to explore the changing world of work and the policies, institutions and practices needed to support fairer and more inclusive futures.

The conference is organised around three interconnected challenges, which draw on WEI’s research themes of work futures; fairness and wellbeing in the workplace; equality, diversity and inclusion; and regulation and representation.

Programme and session updates

Information coming soon.

Submission for the main conference

Please submit either:

• a 500-word abstract for an individual paper, or
• a 1,000-word proposal for a themed session or stream.
• Submissions should be sent to fairwrc@manchester.ac.uk by Friday 13 November 2026 (extended deadline).
• Registration fees: £250 Waged/£50 Unwaged and low-waged (includes conference attendance, refreshments, lunches and the conference dinner)
• For further information, please see the Call for Papers.

Fairness at Work Conference: Early Career and Postgraduate Researcher Workshop

• Date: Tuesday, 19 January 2027
• Speakers: Professor Jill Rubery, Professor Rae Cooper
• Venue: Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester

As part of the Fairness at Work Conference 2027, Work-Net International will host a one-day workshop for early career researchers and doctoral students. The workshop will take place in person on Tuesday 19 January 2027 at The University of Manchester.

The programme will be divided into two parts. The morning session will adopt a critical friend format, providing participants with the opportunity to present and discuss their research in a supportive environment. Attendees will receive constructive feedback from established experts in their field, as well as from fellow PhD researchers and early career academics working on related topics. Participants will also be encouraged to engage critically with one another's work, helping to foster collaborative learning and intellectual exchange.

The afternoon program will consist of two consecutive workshops. The first session will focus on writing for different academic audiences and publication outlets, with guidance provided by experienced journal editors and established authors. This workshop will be particularly relevant for doctoral researchers seeking to develop their academic publishing skills. The second session will explore strategies for building a research profile, developing innovative research ideas, and securing research funding. This workshop will be especially beneficial for early career academics looking to establish and advance their research careers.

The day will conclude with a networking dinner, offering participants an opportunity to connect with peers, senior academics, and researchers from across the field. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to engage with a global network of emerging scholars, receive expert feedback on developing research, strengthen critical thinking skills, and build professional connections within the field of work and employment research.

The broad themes of the workshop will mirror those of the main Fairness at Work Conference, including:

Technological challenges to fair and decent work

• Artificial intelligence, automation and digitalisation
• Platform work and algorithmic management
• Skills, training and workforce transitions
• Productivity, innovation and job quality
• Hybrid, remote and flexible work

Environmental challenges to healthy and sustainable work

• Climate change and labour markets
• Just transitions and green jobs
• Occupational health, safety and wellbeing
• Sustainable work and organisational practices
• Environmental inequalities and local/global transitions

Challenges to equality, fairness and representation at work

• Socio-economic inequalities and equality, diversity and inclusion
• Intersectionalities
• Spatial inequalities and place-based initiatives
• Worker voice, trade unions and collective bargaining
• Employment regulation, labour standards and social protection
• Human rights, employment rights and dignity at work

Please submit an abstract (no longer than 500 words) to register your interest by Friday 13 November (extended deadline). We will then be in touch to confirm your place.

The deadline for the ‘full paper’ or any written work you intend to submit is Friday 8 January 2027 (no longer than 10,000 words – but please note, this does not need to be a finalised paper). Please submit via e-mail: fairwrc@manchester.ac.uk.

Agenda

• 9am - 9.30am: Coffee and registration
• 9.30 - 10.30am: Keynote
  (Prof. Jill Rubery: “What constitutes excellence in research and why does it matter?”)
• 10.30 - 11.45am: Critical friend session
• 11.45am - 12pm: Coffee break
• 12 - 1pm: Critical friend session
• 1 - 2pm: Lunch
• 2 - 3.30pm: PhD Session: Academic Publishing
• 2 - 3.30pm: ECR Session: Building a Research Profile/Grant Applications
• 3.30 - 4pm coffee and cake
• 4 - 5pm: Final Plenary with Professor Rae Cooper
• 6pm - Late: Dinner

Great Expectations and Fractured Realities of Work and Social Dialogue in the UK Offshore Wind Sector

Abstract

This presentation examines the fundamental contradiction between state-driven green energy ambitions and the material realities of work and social dialogue in the UK offshore wind sector. Drawing on a qualitative approach that includes interviews with government officials, think tanks, providers, and social dialogue actors, the research explores how modern work fragmentation undermines established labour standards and collective bargaining.

Details

• Wednesday, 18 November
• 1 - 2.15pm
• Register via Eventbrite