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 aeronautical equipment manufacturer Mecachrome has announced a reorganisation of its plants that will lead to around 100 job cuts. Management has announced the offshoring of Airbus engine attachment production from its historic plant in Aubigny-sur-Nère (Cher) to one of its plants in Portugal. The machines will be transferred to Portugal in August. In total, this transfer of activity will result in the loss of 11 of the site's 540 positions. At the Mecachrome Atlantique plant in Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, near Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), 74 out of around 200 jobs will be lost. Finally, the Vibraye (Sarthe) plant will lose a workshop to the Sablé-sur-Sarthe plant. Around 12 jobs would be transferred. In total, this plan to specialise the plants would affect about 100 jobs, but management is not giving further details at present. Mecachrome, which employs 2,800 people in thirteen plants, supplies engine and structural parts to Safran, Airbus and Dassault.
A previous reorganisation took place in 2016 with around 180 job cuts at its plant of Aubigny-sur-Nère (Cher).
Eurofound (2020), Mecachrome, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 101103, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/101103.