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.
Alpitel, a company specialising in the design, development and installation of telecommunications networks for the main telephone operators with offices in various regions of Italy and headquarters in Nucetto (Cuneo), announced 100 dismissals among its 600 Italian employees. Management stated that the company had to shift the focus of its offer towards more technological solutions with enhanced digital aspects.
The company was in precarious economic conditions and in July it was sold to Psc (a company that deals with shipyards, railways and motorways), which announced the restructuring plan.
The union representatives called for a two-hour strike on Monday in front of the gates, and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the dismissals.
Update, 02/03/2020: The 100 dismissals envisaged at Alpitel will no longer take place. The agreement reached with the mediation of the Ministry of Labour provides for the use of solidarity contracts for 219 workers. Solidarity contracts are agreements concluded with the unions, mainly aimed at avoiding, in whole or in part, staff reductions through a shared reduction of working time (cut in average by up to 60%, and no more than 70% for each involved worker). The solidarity contracts can also be entered in a view to increase the staff, by accompanying the reduction of working time with the hiring of new employees on an open-ended basis (the so-called 'expansive solidarity contracts').
Eurofound (2019), Alpitel, Internal restructuring in Italy, factsheet number 99424, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/99424.