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 Tallinn city government has announced a creation of 600 social jobs in Tallinn Bus Company operating in the capital Tallinn.
The new jobs are created in a framework of a support plan of the city to overcome the current economic crisis. From 1 June 2009 60 persons will be employed as bus cleaners. From 1 September 2009, further 540 persons will be employed as travel escorts whose main task will be to serve the passengers, help the elderly or mother with small children, selling tickets etc.
Fixed-term contracts are concluded with all new workers which will expire by the end of 2009. Persons in social jobs will be paid at the minimum wage - EEK 4350 per month (about € 278 as at 28 May 2009). The persons employed in social jobs will have to be registered as residents of the Tallinn city and registered as unemployed in the Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa). The expenses of the creation of new jobs will be covered from the city budget, not the company itself.
According to the Tallinn city government, in case the unemployment rate in the city will remain above 5% in 2010, the creation of social jobs will continue. According to initial plans 2,000 new jobs will be created and further 2,500 jobs for cleaning the streets, regulating pedestrian crossings, cleaning street furniture and for social welfare services.
An information day was arranged on 22 May to introduce the creation of new jobs and specify the job tasks. Around 1,000 persons participated on the information day and 860 applications were filled in to apply for these jobs.
Eurofound (2009), Tallinn Bus Company, Other in Estonia, factsheet number 68983, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/68983.