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 institution for secondary vocational education ROC Leiden, has announced a staff reduction of 127 full-time equivalents, about a fifth of its current workforce. The reduction will affect both permanent and temporary staff, although it is not further specified whether it includes both teaching and non-teaching staff. As of April 2016, it is unknown when the job losses will be implemented by. Staff cuts have been deemed necessary because of receding student numbers following the cuts to study programmes and negative publicity after the institution nearly went bankrupt because of severe financial problems due to the construction of two large new buildings finished in 2011 and 2013, for which the original budget was exceeded by 400%. ROC Leiden nearly went bankrupt in the summer of 2014, but was 'saved' by a decision of the Minister of Education Jet Bussemaker to inject €40 million, taken from the national budget for secondary vocational education institutions. Negotiations with the unions and works council are currently underway and are expected to be concluded on 17 May 2016. ROC Leiden is currently in the process of merging with ID College, another institution for secondary vocational education in the Western region of the Netherlands with 13 locations, to be completed in 2018.
Eurofound (2016), ROC Leiden, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 87330, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/87330.