February 1, 2025
Six workers at the Japanese unit of the world’s most famous search engine operator Google LLC (Alphabet’s subsidiary) on January 31 filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court, claiming that the company unjustly cut their salaries because they rejected early resignation offers.
The six plaintiffs in their 30s and 40s are members of the Japan Metal, Manufacturing, Information and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (JMITU) Alphabet Union branch.
Google in January 2023 announced its plan to slash 12,000 jobs worldwide. Following this announcement, Google Japan launched a resignation coercion scheme. Three months later, workers who refused to accept early retirement options, like the six workers, were subjected to unfair treatment as part of the company’s “banishment room” tactics in addition to suffering a significant loss of earnings.
According to the six, since April 2023, they have experienced pay discrimination. As a result, the level of their annual salaries decreased by 270,000 to 510,000 yen from the previous level. In addition, the amount of their bonuses dropped significantly. Google pays their workers yearly bonuses in forms of cash payments and stock options. Under discriminatory treatment, the six workers received cash bonuses 570,000 yen-1.55 million yen less than the amount they should have received, and were offered no employee stock options.
The six JMITU members demand that the company pay them a total of about 63.34 million yen in compensation which they say is equivalent to the amount of earnings they lost due to unfair treatment after their rejection of early resignation offers.
At a press conference after the filing, Alphabet Union branch head Kobayashi Saho said that under a situation where the government intends to increase labor mobility, it is necessary to fight against unfair job cuts by corporations, and force them to comply with labor rules.
Past related article:
> JMITU union at Google Japan launches effort to block unilateral layoffs [March 9, 2023]
The six plaintiffs in their 30s and 40s are members of the Japan Metal, Manufacturing, Information and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (JMITU) Alphabet Union branch.
Google in January 2023 announced its plan to slash 12,000 jobs worldwide. Following this announcement, Google Japan launched a resignation coercion scheme. Three months later, workers who refused to accept early retirement options, like the six workers, were subjected to unfair treatment as part of the company’s “banishment room” tactics in addition to suffering a significant loss of earnings.
According to the six, since April 2023, they have experienced pay discrimination. As a result, the level of their annual salaries decreased by 270,000 to 510,000 yen from the previous level. In addition, the amount of their bonuses dropped significantly. Google pays their workers yearly bonuses in forms of cash payments and stock options. Under discriminatory treatment, the six workers received cash bonuses 570,000 yen-1.55 million yen less than the amount they should have received, and were offered no employee stock options.
The six JMITU members demand that the company pay them a total of about 63.34 million yen in compensation which they say is equivalent to the amount of earnings they lost due to unfair treatment after their rejection of early resignation offers.
At a press conference after the filing, Alphabet Union branch head Kobayashi Saho said that under a situation where the government intends to increase labor mobility, it is necessary to fight against unfair job cuts by corporations, and force them to comply with labor rules.
Past related article:
> JMITU union at Google Japan launches effort to block unilateral layoffs [March 9, 2023]
