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 worlds second biggest Aluminium producer Alcan Inc has announced the partial closure of a factory (in France: Oise) and the closure of two sites (in the United Kingdom: Midsomer Norton and Workington) until July 2007. The production (aluminium for aeronautics) of the site of Workington (UK) will be transferred to two French units (Issoire in Puy de Dôme and Montreuil Juigné in the Maine and Loire) and the production (aluminium for packaging) of the site of Midsomer Norton (UK) will be transferred to other European sites of the Alcan group. In the United Kingdom, Alcan Inc. will cut 379 jobs. In Oise (France) one part of site specialized in the recycling of aluminium will be closed. This reduces the workforce of 212 at the Oise site by 127 jobs. The recycling of aluminium will be sold to the RecovCo British by Alcan Inc. before July 2007. According to Alcan Inc., the closures are due to the market situation of aluminium in these two countries.
Eurofound (2006), Alcan, Internal restructuring in European Union, factsheet number 63767, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/63767.