Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
The Irish airline Aer Lingus plans to cut 900 jobs in the next months. The internal restructuring is a consequence of the downturn in business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Aer Lingus expects flight rate between 5% and 15% of its normal schedule, during the months of June and July 2020.
The company has not specified what kind of jobs are within scope of redundancy, but it is engaging in talks with trade unions to detail the internal restructuring plan. According to the communication, the company intends to pursue the reduction of the workforce, first and foremost, via a voluntary redundancy scheme.
Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Ireland, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The company flights over 93 destinations, in Ireland and abroad.
Eurofound (2020), Aer Lingus, Internal restructuring in Ireland, factsheet number 100716, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/100716.