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.
Pewag is an Austrian chain manufacturing company, with a range of products including snow chains, tire protection chains, transmission chains and more. The company has decided to stop the production of one line of snow chains, the Konig brand, which is currently produced in a specialised plant in Molteno, Italy. At least 100 employees (out of 130 workers in the plant) will lose their jobs. Some activities including marketing, sales and logistics are expected remain in Molteno. Due to a dramatic drop in demand, production of the chain itself will be moved to other plants, in particular to Brückl, Austria, and Vamberk and Ceská Trebová in the Czech Republic.
Eurofound (2016), Pewag, Reshoring in Austria, factsheet number 181, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/181.