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.
Due to rapidly growing expenses IKEA concern is to close its wood plate production line in Incukalns with the loss of 373 jobs by the end of 2008. The concern has stopped production of wood plates, but production of pine sawn timber is continued employing approximately 100 employees. The reason of closure is the production prime costs in Latvia becoming too high.
The dismissed employees include 330 blue-collar workers. Other affected employees are stock keepers, bookkeepers, personal managers, mechanics, electricians, engineers and mid-level managers.
Negotiations between the company management and the trade union took place and all employees to be dismissed are already warned. The enterprise will pay all costs stipulated by law to redundant employees.
Eurofound (2008), Swedwood, Closure in Latvia, factsheet number 68257, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/68257.