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 luxury underwear brand La Perla announced a restructuring plan of its production site in Bologna entailing between 100 and 120 redundancies.
The company, part of the Anglo-Dutch group Tennor since February 2018, justified this decision as part of an unavoidable reorganisation plan aiming to bring the operations management of the company, which has been suffering for almost twenty years, back into balance. According to the management, the reorganisation plan foresees the rationalisation of functions not linked to direct production and, therefore, redundancies are expected to be concentrated among clerical staff.
In the assembly held immediately after the meeting in which the company announced the redundancies, the trade unions announced workers' agitation and 16 hours of strike. On July 2, 2019 a crisis table will take place at Regione Emilia Romagna in order to find possible alternative solutions. The trade union argues that among the 120 job cuts, high level profiles such as creative and design roles will be eliminated, thus reducing the importance of the plant.
In Bologna, La Perla employs 428 workers, including 98 in the administrative department.
Update, 31/10/2019: The announced dismissals were withdrawn by the company as part of an agreement signed with the trade unions at the Ministry of Labour. The 126 redundancies are confirmed, but they will take place only on a voluntary basis. Approximately 70 workers, close to retirement age, will probably use the incentives for voluntary exit, while another 65 workers will stop working and get the support of the Extraordinary Wage Guarantee Fund.
Eurofound (2019), La Perla, Internal restructuring in Italy, factsheet number 98071, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/98071.