Automation is not grounds for firing employees, judge says

In landmark case, labor court in Las Palmas, Spain, rules that replacing a worker with an automated system is not grounds for eliminating that worker's employment. The ruling, the first of its kind in Spain, could affect many sectors such as accounting, transport, logistics, and manufacturing. It establishes that positions currently manned by human workers can't be replaced by machines or software automation. Spain has some of the most restrictive labor regulations in Europe to terminate employment. Several organizations, including the OECD, claim that the lack of flexibility to hire and fire employees is one of the causes of the country's high unemployment rate.