On Wednesday, hundreds of Google employees left the company's Zurich office in protest over huge layoffs that saw 200 individuals lose their jobs in Switzerland. In a blog post announcing the walkout, the IT union Syndicom, which represents certain Google employees, stated that workers had urged the business to "engage in conversation with workers to comprehensively and seriously investigate alternatives to layoffs."
We walk out for those who can't walk back in, was the rallying cry of those who left at 11 a.m. local time. As part of the 6% reduction in staff that Google CEO Sundar Pichai outlined in a January message, more than 200 workers in Switzerland were let go. Over 12,000 jobs were lost as a result of the layoffs internationally.
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According to a statement from Syndicom, Google rejected a request from roughly 2,500 employees who wanted to lower their salary and hours in order to prevent job layoffs in Switzerland. The spokesman noted that by participating in the walkout, all employees at Google Zurich and our members are demonstrating their support for those who were let go.
The union drew attention to the "intransparent method" of the layoffs, which happened despite the fact that the corporation "makes billions in profit every year," according to the union. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, recorded a net profit of about $60 billion in 2017. A Google spokesman told Reuters that the company's goals had led to employment cuts: The Swiss consultation procedure is now over, and the affected staff have been informed of their positions.
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When the layoffs were initially announced last month, workers at the Zurich headquarters also staged another walkout, according to Reuters. It's not the first time Google employees have done something similar. In response to allegations of sexual harassment, gender inequity, and systematic racism at the corporation, around 17,000 employees left the workplace in November 2018, in what looked to be the first coordinated worldwide strike at a significant digital company. Outside of regular business hours comment request from Insider was not immediately answered by Google.
