Huawei is giving $389 million in cash rewards to staff helping it weather a US trade blacklisting. A company announcement circulated Tuesday on social media said 90,000 employees will share 2 billion yuan ($389 million), or about 22,000 yuan ($3,100) each. Huawei’s 180,000-member workforce also will receive an extra month’s salary.
Huawei, which employs 190,000 people and is the world’s largest telecommunications equipment vendor, will deposit the double salary into employee bank accounts on November 15.
The company has said it has been trying to find alternatives to US hardware after the United States all but banned it in May from doing business with American firms, disrupting its ability to source key parts.
The cash is a mark of recognition for work in the face of US pressure, Huawei’s human resources department said in a notice to staff. It will also pay staff double this month for all its 190,000 workers, a company spokesman said.
The cash rewards will go to research and development teams and those working to shift the company’s supply chains away from the United States, the spokesman said.
The US government states that Huawei’s equipment, particularly its 5G networks, pose a security risk, because of the company’s “close ties” to the Chinese government. However, it has never offered any proof and Huawei has denied the Chinese government plays any role in its operations.
