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.
90 jobs could go at a pharmaceuticals factory in Wrexham, it has been announced. Wockhardt UK, which employs 395 staff, has blamed the proposal on competition from rival manufacturers in Germany, Eastern Europe and Asia. About half of the threatened jobs, mainly in manufacturing, could go in August, and the rest in March 2008. However, the company said its sterile manufacturing operations were likely to grow over the next three years. The Indian firm now plans to hold talks with trade unions and workers' representatives on the proposals, which include the phased closure of tablet manufacture and packing departments, and the 'downsizing' of the liquids section. The company, which is on the Wrexham industrial estate, makes drugs, including natural insulins and herapin, for a variety of customers. The company said no final decision would be taken on the proposals until these consultations had taken place. A spokesperson added: 'While we regret the need to consider this action, various external factors have made it inevitable in order to maintain Wockhardt's UK operations as a strong and sustainable organisation in the long term.'
'We would like to emphasise that in no way does this action lessen our respect for and appreciation of the quality of our workforce.'
The company said around 300 staff would be safe from redundancy and employee numbers in its sterile facility had already increased from 64 to 90 in the last 15 months. It also said the company had invested 5.4million GBP in the previous four years to upgrade its manufacturing facilities.
Eurofound (2007), Wockhardt, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 65497, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/65497.