Microsoft is apparently offering free Nokia handsets to Chinese workers who voluntarily leave their jobs at a Nokia manufacturing in Beijing.
According to MarketWatch, which cited a report in a local paper, Microsoft is offering workers a Nokia Lumia 630, which retails on China’s JD.com website for the equivalent of $130.
The phones will be offered on a first come, first serve basis.
Microsoft is preparing to cut approximately 4,700 jobs at its Nokia handset factory in Beijing, leaving only 300 workers. The plan was met with protests by Nokia workers there.
The news comes as Microsoft has already announced that it plans to slash 18,000 jobs over the next year, many of which will come from the recently acquired Nokia handset business.