Apple fires employee after leading movement against harassment, employee alleges

Janneke Parrish, an Apple program manager, said the iPhone maker informed her that she had been terminated for deleting material on company equipment while she was under investigation over the leaking of a company town hall to media. She told reporters she denies leaking.

Parrish said she deleted apps that contained details of her finances and other personal information before handing her devices in to Apple as part of the probe. Parrish said she believes she was fired for her activism in the workplace.

"To me, this seems clearly retaliatory for the fact that I was speaking out about abuses that have happened at my employer, pay equity and, generally, about our workplace conditions," she said.

Apple has recently experienced other examples of employee unrest. Last month, two Apple employees told reporters they had filed charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. The workers accused Apple of retaliation and halting discussion of pay among employees, among other allegations.

Apple has said that it is "deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace" and that it takes "all concerns" from employees seriously.