…allegedly, in a complaint filed by a union. The company’s announcement of the layoffs said it was for other business reasons.
Now, we can't prove intent, but we can look for evidence that supports their statements. Such as, if other non-engineers were laid off, if these engineers are eligible for rehire, if only people who signed the petition were let go, or if there are open positions for engineers on their website, etc.
In this and other coverage, it’s mentioned that more than just the employees discussing a union were laid-off. There’s hints of layoffs being started, or signalled, before union discussion began. That could mean the unionization discussion was a reaction to immminent layoffs, rather than the other way around.
I think the word 'allegedly' should have been in the title, at least, until it's been proven.
I'll admit it's possible I misread it and the "for" wasn't actually in there.