March 2, 2023

Workers at Google Japan LLC and at its parent company Alphabet group firms have formed a union, Akahata learned on March 1.

The newly-established Alphabet Union, a branch of the Japan Metal, Manufacturing, Information and Telecommunication Workers' Union (JMITU), held an inauguration rally in Tokyo on February 28.

The world's most famous online search engine Google is implementing corporate restructuring globally. According to the JMITU, e-mail messages announcing that 6% of jobs will be cut were sent to all Google LLC staff, and several Google Japan workers, who became worried about being laid off, contacted the JMITU for advice.

The JMITU Alphabet Union branch said, "In order to accomplish a mission to make the Web democratic as Google has adopted as its slogan, the company's management itself should be democratic. The layoff announcement was made one-sidedly, undermining the trust relationship that Google and its workers have built." The union demanded that Google Japan avoid dismissals without consent of those on the layoff list, make public its financial condition, and respond to the union's collective bargaining request.

JMITU Chair Miki Ryoichi said, "Many Google employees have been proud of the supposed liberal corporate culture. They are now questioning the sudden and unilateral announcement. Google Japan should recognize workers’ demands and the union so that a good management-labor relationship can be forged on an equal footing."