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Google employees demand better treatment in a petition to CEO
https://www.whatjobs.com/news/usa/us-business-news/google-employees-demand-better-treatment-in-a-petition-to-ceo
By Nithya Bose in US business news, posted March 20, 2023
Google employees have handed a petition to the tech giant's CEO calling for better staff treatment after the recent mass layoffs.
More than 1,400 staff signed the petition, and made several demands of boss Sundar Pichai.
The petition includes pausing recruitment, conducting voluntary redundancies before compulsory ones, and prioritizing terminated staff for open positions.
Read More: Facebook parent Meta plans for another 10,000 layoffs
They also demand to let workers complete scheduled periods of paid time off, such as parental and bereavement leave.
The staff also want Alphabet to stop firing workers from countries with active conflicts or humanitarian crises like Ukraine.
They also mention offering additional support to those who risk losing their visa-linked residency and their jobs.
The letter said: “The impacts of Alphabet’s decision to reduce its workforce are global.
“Nowhere have workers’ voices adequately been considered, and we know that as workers we are stronger together than alone.”
Read More: Google employees cuts staff promotions as a way of saving money
The petition comes after Alphabet confirmed plans to cut six percent of its workforce in January amid investor pressure to curtail expenses in the post-pandemic downturn.
Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are among the major players that have slashed headcounts in recent months following years of expansion and hiring.
When Pichai announced the sweeping 12,000 job losses, he took “full responsibility” and said the company had hired for a “different economic reality than the one we face today.”
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Some Google workers, particularly in the US, were let go immediately.
The process has been much slower for those in countries with stronger labor protections, especially in Europe.
The letter was organized by a group of workers backed by unions, including the Alphabet Workers Union, United Tech and Allied Workers, and UNI Global.
The staff would distribute the petition for a few more days before submitting a physical copy to Pichai at Google's Mountain View, California headquarters.
Alphabet's spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to requests for comments.
Source: Bloomberg
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