- Former Google employees allege unjust termination over dissent against the tech giant’s cloud contract with the Israeli government.
- Approximately 50 workers were dismissed for protesting Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud services deal between Google and Amazon for Israel.
- Google defends its actions, stating that the terminated employees disrupted operations and caused others to feel threatened.
A group of ex-Google employees has filed a complaint with the US labour board, accusing the tech giant of unlawfully firing around 50 workers who protested against its cloud contract with the Israeli government. The complaint asserts that Google’s actions violated US labour laws protecting employees’ rights to advocate for better working conditions.
The dismissed employees were allegedly involved in disrupting operations at Google’s office locations while protesting Project Nimbus, a significant cloud services deal with Israel valued at $1.2 billion. Google defended its decision, condemning the conduct of the terminated workers as disruptive and unacceptable, emphasizing that their actions made other employees feel unsafe.
The protesting workers argue that Project Nimbus contributes to Israel’s military technology advancements, while Google maintains that the contract does not involve sensitive military workloads. Despite Google’s stance, the terminated employees, represented by a collective called No Tech For Apartheid, are seeking reinstatement, retroactive pay, and a commitment from Google to respect employees’ rights to organize. The complaint will be reviewed by the NLRB’s general counsel, who will determine its merit and may pursue further action if necessary.
