Lionbridge Case Comes to an End – but the Struggle Continues

The Lionbridge case was moving extraordinarily slow throw the court. At the same time, many have left the company due to worsening conditions and a bad feeling: despite the company’s efforts to put out an effusive amount of PR, the stock value has plummeted to about one US dollar, the firm wants to close down European offices and is sending more and more work to places like China and India. Given a number of factors: new employment, the prospect of a long and expensive case with appeals and no guarantee that the office will even exist by time he is reinstated, plus the really crappy and sleazy actions of the boss, our comrade decided that fighting for reinstatement to the company, although something he wanted to do for the principle, was not going to be the quickest or most efficient way to improve labor conditions there. The case was settled, but our comrade is in touch with workers and professional organizations in several countries who are monitoring the situation and taking action. In particular, action is being taken to pressure the company to stop late payments made to freelance translators and others.

Some workers have also contacted us from far-afield; it seems that Lionbridge is contracted to do internet assessment for firms like Google and hires lots of students from all over the world to “make money at home on the internet”. These people are being encouraged to use the internet to put pressure on the company to pay people on time and to be more honest in their job offers.

Hopefully there will be good news to report shortly.