LONDON—Dozens of Amnesty International workers are walking off the job in London and at least four other countries in a dispute over how management will deal with layoffs.

The one day walkout Wednesday largely involves workers in the organization's London office.

The workers say that Amnesty has changed the rules on redundancy ahead of layoffs amid a planned reorganization of the human rights organization.

Amnesty says the organization respects the right of the workers to strike, and noted that only one-third of the workforce chose to do so.

The group says in a statement that it must change the way it operates to be more effective. That includes moving away from a centralized London base of 500 people to 10 regional hubs closer to where human rights violations occur.