Hundreds of Google employees in London walked off the job on Tuesday in response to the company’s decision to lay off 12,000 people around the world. More than 2,90,000 people in the IT industry have lost their jobs since the beginning of the year as a direct result of this decision, as reported by a layoff tracking website.
Unite, the union representing Google workers, has claimed that the company is ignoring its members’ complaints and has called for greater union representation, greater consultation, and better treatment of employees.
As reported by Reuters (via BusinessToday) officer Matt Whaley of Unite said, “Our community is unanimous: Google needs to stop being evil. They, along with Unite, won’t give up until Google employees are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
This protest comes after talks with management had been described as “extremely frustrating.” An employee stated, “It feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears.” Similar protests were held by Google employees in Zurich, Switzerland, last month when the corporation rejected their ideas to decrease job layoffs. More than five thousand employees are working for Google in the UK.
Google said in January that it would be laying off about 12,000 people around the world. In the United States, layoffs started when Sundar Pichai made the news public. Over 450 people working in India for the search giant have been let go since the news.
Unfortunately, the timing of these layoffs coincides with the underwhelming release of Google’s artificial intelligence assistant, Google Bard. Google Bard wiped out $100 billion from Google’s valuation because of a factual error made during the presentation. As a result, Google is trying to save money by reducing the amenities it offers to employees, such as the frequency with which laptops are updated and the cost of miscellaneous items like staplers and snacks.
Shareholders have also been negatively impacted by Google’s recent moves, in addition to employees. The stock price has dropped as a result of the layoffs and the failure of Google Bard, and it may take some time for the company to recover.
Recent layoffs at Google have drawn attention in an industry under intense scrutiny for its treatment of employees in recent years. The technology sector is in turmoil as more than 2,90,000 people have lost their employment so far this year. Large corporations like Google must recognize their social responsibility and make efforts to provide a safe and equitable workplace for their employees.
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