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 General Mills has announced plans to close its site in Berwick with the loss of 265 jobs. The factory which makes frozen pastry products for the Jus-Rol range employs 265 people and is one of the largest employers in the area. The site has been operated by General Mills since 2001. The proposal is to close the site sometime around August 2016. Statutory consultation on the proposals is being undertaken with trade unions. It is understood that the company intends to continue manufacture of the products at one of its other sites in Europe.
Eurofound (2015), General Mills, Offshoring/Delocalisation in United Kingdom, factsheet number 85451, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/85451.