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Google has agreed to settle a National Labor Relations Board lawsuit filed by six former and current employees who said the company illegally fired or disciplined them for unionizing efforts.

As part of the settlement agreed on Friday, former and current Google employees also agreed to dismiss a related lawsuit in California. Laurie M. Burgess, a lawyer representing former and current employees, said the terms of the settlement depended on a confidentiality agreement.

The agreement was reached after a decision in the work board case forced Google to turn over more documents. In a complaint filed by the employment agency in December 2020, it was stated that the search giant illegally fired or disciplined and supervised employees active in the labor organisation.

Google has repeatedly said its actions have nothing to do with fighting unionization efforts and violate employee safety protocols. A spokesperson said on Monday that “it is pleased that all parties have avoided years of legal action”.

“We have always supported the right of our employees to talk about their working conditions and stand by our policies that protect the security of our systems,” the spokesperson said.

Ms Burgess said the deal was not a loss. She said her clients have dedicated two years to fighting Google and they must move on with their lives.

“My clients have gone further than anyone else in exposing what Google has done in terms of trying to suppress the union and organizing activities,” Ms Burgess said.

The lawsuit brought to light Google’s extensive efforts to fend off a nascent unionization effort. in related documents Google’s hiring of IRI AdvisorsA Google lawyer, a company known for its anti-union work, said he wanted consultants to help convince employees that “unions suck”.

In January, an administrative law judge ordered Google to turn in even more documents, citing attorney-client privilege. Also, Google’s chief legal officer, Kent Walker, was scheduled to testify at the NLRB trial.

Four of those who filed the lawsuit were dismissed by the company, while the other two were disciplined but not dismissed. One of these two stays with Google. As part of the settlement, the four dismissed employees withdrew their requests for reinstatement.