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 manufacturing company Novolegno, located in Arcella (in the province of Avellino) announced it will be closing operations from next Monday, February 25, 2019. The closure will entail the dismissal of all the 117 workers currently employed by the company.
The announcement was made by the company during a meeting convened in the headquarters of Confindustria. Attempts of the trade unions and of the company's employee representatives to convince the company to confirm the solidarity contracts expiring in June with an extension to the spring of 2020 in order to save employment were not successful.
The 117 workers gathered in the afternoon to discuss the situation with the trade unions and organise protest actions.
Update, 09/04/2019: An agreement between the government, the company and the trade unions has stopped the 117 dismissals and deliberated the use of the social shock absorber scheme Cassa Integrazione Guadagni for one year, in order to develop a plan to redeploy workers to other production plants, define procedures for their voluntary exit, or find potential buyers.
Eurofound (2019), Novolegno, Closure in Italy, factsheet number 97167, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/97167.