Up To 500 Employees Of Google Zurich Protesting Against Layoffs - Union

Daniyal Sohail Published March 15, 2023 | 08:20 PM

About 400-500 employees of Google's office in Zurich protested against "unnecessary" layoffs on Wednesday, Swiss trade union representing communication, IT and media workers Syndicom said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2023) About 400-500 employees of Google's office in Zurich protested against "unnecessary" layoffs on Wednesday, Swiss trade union representing communication, IT and media workers Syndicom said.

"Rallying around the slogan 'we walk out for those who can't walk back in', 400 - 500 Google employees in Zurich left their workplace at 11 am (10:00 GMT) in protest. Yesterday, the company announced the layoffs. Google did not take into account the broadly supported proposals of the staff to avoid the dismissals," the trade union said in a statement.

Google Zurich employees, supported by Syndicom, have worked out many proposals that could help avoid layoffs, however, the company rejected all of them, they said. One of the rejected proposals would have allowed 2,500 employees to voluntarily reduce their working hours.

The demonstrators were discontent with Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, laying off 5% of the staff despite billions in profits, the trade union said.

"The employee representation committee, together with the Syndicom union, are now in talks with Google to negotiate an extended social plan. The social plan must contain specific measures to further reduce the number of employees affected and to find new employment as quickly as possible," the statement read.

Alphabet is an American technology holding company, the parent company of Android, YouTube, Google Life Sciences, Calico, Sidewalk Labs, Nest, Google Ventures, Google Capital and Google X. Alphabet's net income decreased by 21% to $59.9 billion in 2022 year-on-year.

Large technology companies have been laying off employees in massive waves since late 2022. In particular, reductions were announced at microsoft, Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange, Meta (banned in Russia as an extremist organization), Twitter, Amazon, Netflix and other companies.