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Female Google employees and their male colleagues have taken a stand, with thousands (around 20,000 according to press reports) staging a walkout on 1 November to protest against the treatment of women at the company. To begin with, 200 employees protested internally to demonstrate their dismay following an article published in the New York Times, which revealed the departure several executives amid allegations of misconduct. The most high-profile of these was Andy Rubin, the inventor of the Android software, who resigned in 2014. He was accused of having forced a female colleague to have sexual relations with him in a hotel room. The accusation, deemed credible, led to his departure, upon which he was given a $90 million golden handshake. It is this episode that sparked fury among Google staff, beyond the initial group of workers. Walkouts took place in Mountain View, California, as well as New York, Seattle, London, Berlin, Dublin and Singapore. The protesters displayed placards with phrases such as “Time’s Up” and “Don’t Be Evil” – a company motto – written on them. The employees also tabled a list of demands, including the end of forced arbitration in instances of harassment, which avoids judicial intervention, as well as a report on pay for men and women, so as to achieve equal pay, and the elevation of the chief diversity officer, so they report directly to the CEO and make their recommendations to the board. They also demanded that an employee representative be named on the board.
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