Employees at the Japanese arm of Google LLC, the world’s largest internet search engine operator, and affiliated firms have formed a labour union for the first time as their parent company Alphabet Inc. intends to cut some 12,000 jobs, they announced in a news conference in Tokyo on March 2.
Alphabet plans to lay off more than 6 percent of its total workforce, and apparently there is a possibility that dismissals will take place at the Japanese subsidiary. Some employees reportedly received an email from a representative of the Japan division on the morning of March 2 notifying them of a system that allows them to receive additional benefits if they agree to resign within two weeks.
The group’s official name is “Google Japan Union.” It consists of Japanese and non-Japanese employees, including those from affiliated companies. The labour union said that the number of members is expected to surpass 50 by the end of March. The union applied to the Japanese subsidiary for collective bargaining on February 28, and will also demand talks with affiliated firms.
In a statement, the union said, “We are frightened by the layoffs because many of us employees have anxieties about our families’ lives and maintaining work visas, and because we are concerned about whether the employer can maintain a corporate culture in which we can feel secure working to provide services to users all over the world.”
One of the employees said, “There is no reason to lay off such a large number of workers when we are making a profit. It is unfortunate that unneeded layoffs continue to cause needless stress.”
The labour union is defined as a branch of the Tokyo managers’ Union.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230303/p2a/00m/0na/004000c
Category: Japan
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