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.
On 22 October 2014 oil storage group Vopak announced it will cut 200 of its 1000 jobs in the Netherlands. No exact timeline has been announced yet. Fixed term contracts will not be renewed and vacancies will not be filled. A large share of the jobs will be lost at the head office in Rotterdam. Forced dismissals are not ruled out. The background is the decreasing oil price, which results in lower usage of storage capacity. The unions have announced that they will link the restructuring measures to the running collective bargaining round and that they will demand a generous social plan.
Eurofound (2014), Vopak, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 77878, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/77878.