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.
IT firm Ericsson announced 600 dismissals in Italy.
The company's cited costs reduction and increases in efficiency as motivation of the decision. Ericsson recently lost significant orders in the country and has already implemented a collective dismissal procedure leading to severe job loss in July (see EriccsonIT-2017).
The management is available to negotiate incentives to voluntary dismissal and assured dismissals will not affect staff of the Research and Development department.
Workers went on strike against the decision. The Ministry of Labour is intended to summon the company in order to assess possible alternatives to dismissals.
Eurofound (2017), Ericsson, Internal restructuring in Italy, factsheet number 92751, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/92751.