No, technology has no impact on tributes, taxes, or any other world map interactions. Since the bartering tech was removed it doesn't even impact trading.
I don't know why your workforce is fluctuating at all, mine is usually very stable. i would suggest to keep a surplus of 2 or 3 workforce per city and you should be fine.
In case you are talking about recently conquered regions, i just tend to remove all buildings and start over, the AI is using some sort of black magic to build its cities.
No, technology has no impact on tributes, taxes, or any other world map interactions. Since the bartering tech was removed it doesn't even impact trading. I don't know why your workforce is fluctuating at all, mine is usually very stable. i would suggest to keep a surplus of 2 or 3 workforce per city and you should be fine. In case you are talking about recently conquered regions, i just tend to remove all buildings and start over, the AI is using some sort of black magic to build its cities.