'We’re Just Getting the Crumbs Here': Striking Contractors Protest Layoffs at Meta’s European Headquarters
Contract workers at Meta's European headquarters protested planned layoffs, claiming they are receiving inadequate severance compared to full-time employees. The striking workers, employed by Covalen, demand better compensation and the removal of a cooldown period preventing them from future employment with Meta. The protests highlight the disparity in treatment between contract and full-time workers amid ongoing layoffs at both Covalen and Meta.
- ▪Contract workers at Meta's Dublin office protested layoffs and inadequate severance packages.
- ▪Covalen, the company employing the workers, cited reduced demand as the reason for job cuts affecting 700 employees.
- ▪The striking workers are demanding double the severance currently offered and changes to a cooldown period preventing reemployment with Meta.
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| Original publisher | WIRED |
| Canonical URL | https://www.wired.com/story/meta-covalen-protest-strike-dublin/ |
| Publication time | Fri, 29 May 2026 20:18:01 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-29T20:22:26.035Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-29T20:22:26.035Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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Joel KhaliliBusinessMay 29, 2026 4:18 PM'We’re Just Getting the Crumbs Here': Striking Contractors Protest Layoffs at Meta’s European HeadquartersSoon-to-be-laid-off Meta contractors say they’re being treated differently than Mark Zuckerberg’s full-time employees, who stand to receive more generous severance packages.Photograph: Joel KhaliliCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this story“We trained the bots. We did the grind. Now we’re being left behind,” chanted a horde of contract workers who gathered outside Meta’s offices in Dublin, Ireland on Friday afternoon.
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