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.
Termoelectrica is one of the 18 large national companies in the mining and energy sector affected by a government decree ordering collective dismissals in 2006. The redundant workers will receive compensatory payments in accordance with the stipulations of the collective agreement, unemployment benefits and two net monthly wages (at the level registered in January 2006). The decree had been discussed in the Economic and Social Council (the tripartite body at national level) and the Commission for Social Dialogue, as is mandatory. The job cuts now announced for the 18 companies amount to 10413 in total.(16 cases are recorded in the ERM. The two other cases involve redundacies of 50 people each and are therefore not included in the ERM). The restructuring process is part of the 'National strategy for the mining sector 2004-2010' and of the government's strategy to accelerate privatisation and to attract new investment in the sector.
According with the annual report of the company at the end of 2005 the number of employees of Termoelectrica was 11,933.
Eurofound (2006), Termoelectrica, Internal restructuring in Romania, factsheet number 63211, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/63211.