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 packaging and processing giant Tetra Pak is reducing staff at its facility in Lund, Sweden. The announced staff reductions total 150.
Tetra Pak has announced that it will focus more on digitalisation and automation of production, which changes competence requirements. According to a company spokesperson, the new key competences will be accessed externally, making some positions within the company redundant. Tetra Pak has yet to announce what positions will be affected. The staff reductions are part of a large restructuring process at the facility in Lund.
Employees at the facility were informed of the oncoming staff reductions in two different occasions between the end of Octiober (70 employees were informed) and mid-November (another 80 employees were informed). Local trade unions are negotiating with Tetra Pak to reduce the final number of staff reductions.
Eurofound (2018), Tetra Pak, Internal restructuring in Sweden, factsheet number 95754, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/95754.