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Staff accept Motorola Beijing's layoff compensation

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The Motorola building in Beijing. Hundreds of Motorola employees staged protests in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on Aug 16 and in Beijing on Aug 17, after being informed of a layoff. [Photo/China Daily]

Most of the laid-off employees of Motorola Mobility's Beijing branch agreed to sign labor termination agreements before a Tuesday deadline after the company agreed to boost their compensation, the company's China PR manager said.

Motorola increased their compensation after over 100 employees protested against the massive layoff -- which is expected to affect 700 people -- outside its Beijing headquarters on Friday.

The job cuts in Beijing follow Motorola Mobility's announcement last week that it will slash nearly 4,000 jobs this year, accounting for 20 percent of its global workforce.

The protestors said the company did not negotiate with them before making the decision and demanded equal consultation opportunities.

According to the revised deal, employees will be further compensated with a housing allowance up until their last day at Motorola, as well as cash remitted for untaken statutory annual leave, said Kevin Si, the company's China PR manager.

The employees were given a deadline of noon Tuesday to sign their termination contracts and receive the increased compensation.

Dozens still refused to sign the termination contract on Tuesday, as they believe the revised deal still acts as a "unilateral notice" that does not provide the employees with equal footing, according to a laid-off employee who requested anonymity.

The employee said that the labor union at Motorola did not help them fight for their rights.

Si told Xinhua earlier that Motorola's compensation is higher than the national standard and the staff cuts were made in accordance with local regulations.

Since Google completed its 12.5-billion-U.S.-dollar acquisition of Motorola Mobility in May, the Internet search giant has taken a series of measures to turn the money-losing mobile phone maker around.

The new changes, including downsizing, are designed to return Motorola Mobility's mobile device unit to profitability, as the unit lost money in 14 of the last 16 quarters, Google said.