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.

Corrugados Getafe, an Spanish steel manufacturer, has announced the definitive closure of its steel plant in Getafe after 75 years of operation, triggering an employment redundancy plan (ERE) that will affect 152 workers.
The decision follows longstanding tensions with local residents over alleged noise and pollution, as well as structural challenges including urban encroachment, tighter environmental regulations—particularly restrictions on night operations—and shifts in global steel market dynamics exacerbated by US tariffs.
Negotiations with trade unions began on 7 May, with initial proposals including possible relocations to other group facilities and support for job transitions through public and private employment agencies. While the company attributes the closure to legal and economic pressures, environmental groups and neighbourhood associations argue it stems from the company’s failure to invest in compliance measures, accusing it of prioritising real estate speculation.
The Getafe City Council, while calling for calm, sees the closure as a chance to reduce pollution and repurpose the site for future economic activity. Affected workers now face uncertainty, with outcomes depending on the success of upcoming negotiations and the viability of reindustrialisation plans
Eurofound (2025), Corrugados, Closure in Spain, factsheet number 202884, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/202884.