Motorola layoffs spark protest

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc employees in Nanjing and Beijing have protested against the decision by its owner Google Inc on Monday to reduce the workforce by 20 percent.

Google, which took charge of the cellphone manufacturer last year for $12.5 billion, announced on Monday it will slash 4,000 jobs globally.

On Thursday, about 100 staff from its Nanjing center, waved banners outside the building to protest against Google's "illegal layoffs", pledging to fight any cutbacks at the site.

The next day, more than 200 employees holding similar banners gathered in front of Motorola's Beijing office to protest against the company's downsizing plans.

A staff member from Motorola's Nanjing Software Center, who asked to remain anonymous, said that official layoff notices and details of compensation packages are expected to be released on Monday or Tuesday.

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