Meta Contractors in Dublin Protest Severance Disparity Amid AI Layoffs

Contract workers employed by Dublin-based firm Covalen staged a protest and march outside Meta’s European headquarters in Dublin on Friday. The workers, who provide content moderation and data labeling services for Meta, are striking against planned layoffs and inadequate severance packages. Covalen has notified 700 employees of job risks, with many receiving no severance or only the statutory minimum. The Communications Workers’ Union is urging Meta to leverage its position as a client to secure better terms, including double the current offer and removal of a six-month cooldown period preventing re-employment with other Meta contractors.

The demonstration involved over 150 workers marching from Covalen’s office to Meta’s campus, using whistles, vuvuzelas, and chants such as “We scrub the feed. We take the pain. Meta profits from our strain.” Workers are demanding double the current severance offer and payment for those employed for less than two years, who currently receive nothing. A specific “cooldown period” prevents laid-off Covalen workers from working for other Meta contractors for six months; workers argue this forces unemployment.

Covalen’s headcount is set to be slashed by almost half across two rounds of cuts since November. The majority of affected workers are data annotators whose roles involve checking AI-generated material for illicit content and creating prompts to bypass safety guardrails. Irish labour laws do not require employers to recognise unions that win employee support, a factor cited by legal experts as weakening the strikers’ position.

Covalen has not chosen to recognise the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU). Meta spokesperson Erica Sackin stated the company is reducing reliance on third-party vendors and that staffing decisions are up to Covalen. Meta employees recently received four months’ pay plus two weeks per year of employment, contrasting sharply with Covalen’s offers.

The strikers argue that the disparity in treatment highlights a lack of value placed on contract labour within the tech supply chain. While Meta faces its own workforce reductions, the legal framework in Ireland offers limited leverage for unionised action compared to other jurisdictions. The union plans to continue industrial action as the final layoffs approach at the end of June.

Workers such as Amine Mouhouvi, who emigrated from France for the role, highlight the practical impact of the cooldown clause, which bars them from working for other Meta contractors until the end of the year. Legal experts note that without employer recognition, the union’s ability to compel negotiations is significantly constrained.

Despite the legal hurdles, participants maintain that the protest is necessary to raise awareness of their conditions. Tulio Dias de Assis, a quality analyst representing affected workers, stated that the goal is to prove their point and ensure Meta is aware of the situation. The protest marks a significant escalation in the dispute between the contract workforce and their employer.