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 Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt plans to phase out its operations in Sweden at two locations. Parts of the factory Northvolt Ett in Skellefteå will be closed down and the Northvolt Fem programme in Borlänge will be phased out. How many employees will be affected by the cuts is still confidential.
However, the part of the Skellefteå factory that will be closed down employs around 300 people, around 10% of the total workforce at Skellefteå. In Borlänge, Northvolt was expected to create 1,000 jobs through its operations but today, the company has 10 employees at the location.
The company states that it is doing its utmost to avoid lay-offs, but that the restructuring is part of a strategic review that focuses on streamlining the operations and reducing costs. The restructuring takes place after large media attention on the company during the past year. There have been three unexplained deaths among employees at the Skellefteå factory. There have also been multiple accidents at the factory. In august, four employees needed hospital care after being subjected to toxic gases.
Northvolt is a Swedish design and manufacturing company specialising in lithium-ion battery technology for electric vehicles. The company employs approximately 3,500 people in Sweden.
For earlier events see: Northvolt, 2019 SE
Update 24/09/2024:
Nothvolt has now announced large scale restructuring, planning dismissals of 1,600 employees, out of which 1,000 in Skellefteå, 400 in Västerås and 200 at the company headquarters in Stockholm.
Update 07/10/2024:
Nothvolt’s negotiations on redundancies of white-collar workers are partly complete. According to the trade union Unionen, 129 salaried employees will be laid off in Västerås, 81 in Stockholm. Negotiations on how many people will leave Skellefteå are not yet complete.
Update 25/10/2024:
Northvolt and IF Metall have now concluded the cooperation negotiations regarding the production in Skellefteå resulting in the dismissal of 840 employees.
Eurofound (2024), Northvolt, Internal restructuring in Sweden, factsheet number 201595, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/201595.