Former Nokia employees demonstrate in China over mass layoff by Microsoft

Employees of the telephone branch of Microsoft, which recently took over the company from Nokia, are said to have laid down their work en masse in China on Friday. That happened after it was announced last month that thousands of jobs have to be lost.

The protest took place at a research center and a factory near Beijing, which would employ a total of 2,400 people. Protesters held up signs for hours and shouted that the Microsoft takeover was “hostile.” Reuters reports this based on a single source and posts on social media.

According to Reuters, protesters wanted to talk to Microsoft about more favorable terms, but the news agency is holding back because of the incompleteness of the sources. Microsoft declined to comment immediately, Reuters said.

The alleged protest was Friday after Microsoft announced a mass layoff last month. Of the 18,000 jobs to be cut within a year, 12,500 are from staff that came with the Nokia acquisition, which Microsoft completed in April. The biggest blows take place in the factories of Nokia. Many will lose their jobs there, it became clear earlier.