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.
Amcor, an Australian packaging producer announced the closure of its facility in Halen, Belgium. The entire workforce of 224 employees is facing dismissal. The reasoning behind the closure is the fact that the firm failed to be profitable for the last couple of years, due to the loss of several important contracts in 2011. In the coming months production will be gradually diminished until the closure at the end of the year. A potential acquisition by another firm seems very unlikely, therefore all 61 white collar and 163 blue collar jobs are at risk. No specific details on how many direct dismissals will be enacted are available yet. Unions state they will try to prepare a redundancy plan for every employee.
Eurofound (2016), Amcor, Closure in Belgium, factsheet number 87762, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/87762.