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Swiss Google workers stage walkout as job cuts hit Europe

Employees in Google office
Google employs about 5,000 people in Switzerland. Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Hundreds of Google employees have staged a walkout at the company's office in Switzerland, after more than 200 workers were laid off.

Up to 500 people took part in Wednesday’s protest at Google’s Zurich office according to the Syndicom trade union.

It was the second walkout in less than a month in the office which employees about 5,000 people.

In January, Google’s parent company Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs around the world, equivalent to 6% of its global workforce.

The decision came amid a wave of job cuts across corporate America, particularly in the tech sector, where companies have shed more than 290,000 workers since the start of the year, according to tracking site Layoffs.fyi.

Compromise rejected 

A representative for Syndicom said more than 2,000 staff members had offered to reduce their wages and working hours in an attempt to prevent job cuts.

The union criticised Google for rejecting the proposal and a lack of transparency about the job cuts.

For its part, Google dismissed the allegations saying the company had made cuts to ensure the number of roles remained aligned with its highest priorities.

+ Read also about Google search results in Switzerland

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