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.
Ulster Bank has announced that up to 750 staff are to be made redundant across Ireland. The bank wants 550 redundancies in the Republic of Ireland, and a further 200 in Northern Ireland. The redundancies will be 'voluntary', and bank management are in negotiations with trade unions on an appropriate severance agreement. Furthermore, Ulster Bank's operations in First Active are to cease, and First Active will be merged into Ulster Bank. This will result in the closure of 45 First Active branches and the other 15 will be incorporated into Ulster Bank. Significantly, the redundancies amount to more than 10 per cent of the 7,000 staff employed at Ulster Bank and First Active, which are owned by UK bank Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
Eurofound (2009), Ulster Bank, Internal restructuring in Ireland, factsheet number 68004, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/68004.