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.
Vocational school WinNova has initiated employer-employee negotiations aiming to cut 65 positions. The reason for the internal restructuring is reduced grants from the government beginning in 2017. WinNova has a savings demand of €6 million, corresponding to 9% of the total budget. All employees are affected by the negotiations.
Redundancies will be implemented through retirements, non-extensions of fixed term contracts as well as lay-offs.
The ERM has previously reported on employer-employee negotiations at a number of Finnish Universities following budget cuts by the government of €600 million during 2016-2020, leading to redundancies at many of the 14 Finnish universities. The ERM has reported on ongoing employer-employee negotiations at Aalto University, Åbo Akademi, the University of Eastern Finland, Lappeenranta University of Technology and the University of Helsinki.
Eurofound (2016), WinNova, Internal restructuring in Finland, factsheet number 86436, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/86436.