Google faces another major headache with a new filing claiming employees were fired for activism

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Google faces another major headache with a new filing claiming employees were fired for activism
Sundar Pichai Google

AP

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Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

  • A complaint has reportedly been filed with the US National Labor Relations Board, alleging that staff in Google's ad business were illegally fired.
  • According to Bloomberg, which obtained a copy of the complaint, the complainant alleges that Google illegally fired one or more employees because they had joined or supported a labor group, and had protested over terms and conditions of employment.
  • The identities of both the complainant and the affected staff were redacted.
  • Google - which was recently accused of "union busting" after it fired 4 employees known for engaging in activism at the firm - did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The ongoing struggle between Google and its activist employees shows no signs of stopping.

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A complaint has reportedly been filed with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that staff in Google's ad business were illegally fired.

According to Bloomberg, which obtained a copy of the complaint, the complainant alleges that Google illegally fired one or more employees because they had joined or supported a labor group, and had protested over terms and conditions of employment.

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The complaint also accuses Google of maintaining rules that prevent staff from discussing working conditions, and that prevent or discourage them from supporting a labor group. The identities of both the complainant and the staff were redacted, the publication added.

In recent months, the tech giant has faced intense criticism from employees past and present over its perceived intolerance for internal complaints and activism.

Google walkout

Troy Wolverton/Business Insider

A protester participates in the mass walkouts at Google in late 2018.

Last month, it fired four employees for what it described in a leaked internal memo as "clear and repeated violations" of its data-security policies. Though the company said it "could confirm" the contents of that internal note, it did not provide further comment.

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The firing drew the ire of employee activist group Google Walkout for Real Change, which published a blog post on Medium that accused Google of "hiring a union-busting firm" and "attempting to crush worker organizing."

Google Walkout for Real Change was the driving force behind the mass walkouts at Google in late 2018, over the company's attitude to sexual harassment, but it has since widened the scope of its activism to focus on general working conditions at Google.

A number of ex-Googlers also expressed frustration this week at what they saw as a failure by Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to improve the company's working culture. The duo stepped down from their senior leadership roles at Alphabet earlier this week.

Google did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

You can read Bloomberg's report here.

Get the latest Google stock price here.

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