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.
Food manufacturer 2 Sisters Food is to close its chicken-processing plant in Suffolk by 15th November, resulting in the loss of 400 staff.
The company explained that the site is ageing, making losses, and lacking of important infrastructure in the region.
Following consultations with unions, the company committed to transfer 200 staff to its plants in Thetford, Witham and Eye. This is to reduce the social impact of the plant closure with a total workforce of 600.
Being based in Birmingham, 2 Sisters Food group has 47 sites in the UK and Ireland and also operates in Holland and Poland. In total, it employs 24,000 staff. A previous closure of a 2 Sisters Food chicken-processing plant in the UK has been reported in 2005.
Eurofound (2013), 2 Sisters Food, Closure in United Kingdom, factsheet number 76018, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/76018.