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 tribunal of Grenoble dismissed the restructuring plan announced in February 2009 by Caterpillar, the world´s largest producer of construction and mining equipments, cutting 733 jobs in 2009 in the plants of Grenoble and Echirolles.
The decision was a response to a slumping demand with a decline of 55% in construction and mining equipments orders between 2008 and the forecasts in 2009.
Caterpillar took legal action following the workers' rejection of the plan to end the dispute that had culminated in the detention of the director and his associates. The plan notably entailed the revision of the number of job cuts from 733 to 600.
The Court urged the company to resume talks and negotiations with the worker's representatives and reach an agreement within a two-week deadline.
Eurofound (2009), Caterpillar, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 68828, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/68828.