(Reuters) – A group of workers at Alphabet Inc’s Google have filed a complaint with a U.S. labor board claiming the tech company unlawfully fired them for protesting its cloud contract with the Israeli government.
The complaint was filed late Monday with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), according to No Tech For Apartheid, a group affiliated with some of the workers. The group said the complaint alleges that by firing the workers, Google interfered with their rights under U.S. labor law to advocate for better working conditions.
Reuters could not immediately obtain a copy of the complaint. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google this month said it had fired 28 employees who disrupted work at unspecified office locations while protesting Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract jointly awarded to Google and Amazon.com to supply the Israeli government with cloud services.
The workers claim the project supports Israel’s development of military tools. Google has said the Nimbus contract “is not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.”
Former Google employee Zelda Montes, arrested during a Project Nimbus protest, stated Google terminated workers to stifle organization. Montes suggested Google aimed to discourage dissent among its workforce.
“Google is attempting to instill fear in employees,” Montes said.
Workers in the NLRB complaint demand reinstatement with back pay. They also seek assurance from Google to respect workers’ organizing rights.
Furthermore, the Google workers protest has reignited discussions about the responsibility of tech companies in upholding ethical standards. The controversy highlights the power dynamics within corporations and the need for transparency and accountability.
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