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.
Knauf Industries, the French plastics subsidiary of the Knauf group, has announced a reorganisation plan aimed at reducing its production costs. Four sites in France are to close, resulting in 123 redundancies, out of which 52 are to be relocated to other sites in France. Specialising in the production of packaging and technical industrial parts, Knauf industries is planning to close four sites: in Pithiviers (Loiret), Duclair (Seine-Maritime), Rhinau (Bas-Rhin) and Saint-Sauveur-d'Aunis (Charente-Maritime).123 jobs are cut, the company said in a press release, citing its economic difficulties linked to the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions such as the war in Ukraine, high energy and raw material costs, and changes in consumer habits as reasons. The production activities of these sites would be redeployed to ten other Knauf Industries sites in France, which would lead to the relocation of 52 of the affected jobs, according to the company's management. The group Knauf employs over 41,500 people worldwide and more than 2,000 in its subsidiary Knauf Industries.
Eurofound (2023), Knauf Industries, Relocation in France, factsheet number 109308, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/109308.