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Nokia has been working with Microsoft for quite some time, creating flagship Windows Phone handsets for Microsoft’s mobile platform. Recently, Microsoft purchased Nokia’s mobile phone business. This has prompted strikes among Nokia’s workers in China who have accused the company of offering them weaker packages as a result of the deal.

Nokia’s workers started their strike on Tuesday, claiming that the company forced them to sign new contracts once the deal was finalized with Microsoft. The new contracts, it is alleged, are weaker because they offer lower salary and less benefits.

As a result of the strike, Nokia has already terminated 50 employees, explaining that these employees chose not to come to work and so, their contracts have been ended. The company has also claimed that it tried to negotiate with the strikers but the employees deny that any such efforts have been made.

The official statement from Nokia about the entire episode states, “We continue our efforts to engage a small group of employees in our Dongguan facility who are demanding a severance package — for jobs they have not lost and which continue to offer the same salary and benefits. The vast majority of employees are at work. Our manufacturing operations in Dongguan continue. We have also adjusted our operations in our other manufacturing facilities.”

Corporate takeovers are a tricky business and oftentimes, the concerns of the workers are genuine. Takeovers may result in lay-offs, a reduction in labor salaries and similar other cut-backs. It remains to be seen how Nokia deals with the whole situation without essentially firing the workers.

Courtesy: CNET

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