Contract staff employed by Covalen, a company providing essential content moderation and AI data labeling for Meta, staged a protest outside Meta’s European headquarters in Dublin, expressing frustration over planned layoffs and minimal severance packages. The workforce, recently informed that 700 employees face job cuts due to "reduced demand," gathered with signs and whistles to demand fairer treatment.
Many affected employees have less than two years’ tenure, making them ineligible for severance pay. Those eligible are only receiving the legal minimum—two weeks’ pay per year worked—prompting claims that workers are being relegated to "crumbs" despite their key role in refining Meta’s AI systems. Covalen workers and the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) have urged the company to double the severance payouts and include payouts for short-term staff.
The protest evolved into a march from Covalen’s office to Meta’s nearby campus, drawing public attention and slowing local traffic. At Meta’s gates, workers intensified chants emphasizing their contribution to the platform’s profitability amid their job losses. The CWU highlighted Meta’s potential leverage to pressure Covalen into better severance agreements, including waiving a six-month "cooldown period" that bars laid-off workers from immediately joining other Meta projects.
Despite requests, Covalen has not publicly commented on the layoffs or severance terms. Meta indicated plans to reduce dependency on contractors but stopped short of addressing the severance disputes directly. The situation underscores mounting tension around contractors’ rights and fair compensation amid shifting demands for moderation and AI support roles in the tech sector.