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.
Elektrokeramik Sonnenberg (EKS), a manufacturer of porcelain insulators and subsidiary of the PPC Insulator Group, has announced the elimination of 230 jobs at its production site in Sonnenberg, Thuringia, Germany.
The 230 job cuts are due to the company's decision to cease production and close the manufacturing site by the end of 2022. According to the management, overcapacities in the entire European high- and medium-voltage porcelain industry are the reason. According to the company, EKS has recently recorded persistently high losses.
Negotiations on a social plan are proceeding slowly. According to the union spokesperson, the management has not yet presented an acceptable offer.
The PPC Insulator Group has four production sites worldwide with 800 employees in six countries.
Eurofound (2022), Elektrokeramik Sonneberg, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 107297, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/107297.