After further tensions and demands from Ubisoft, the French union is calling on employees to strike again.
It was only a few months ago that employees at three French-speaking Ubisoft studios went on strike to demand better working conditions and fair pay.
At that point, negotiations between the union STJV (Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo) and Ubisoft as the employer had already failed. Recently, tensions have flared up again, and now appear to be leading to a strike.
Ubisoft wants employees back in the office despite failed negotiations
As the STJV explained, Ubisoft management announced after another failed negotiation on profit sharing that it expected all employees to be in the office three days a week According to the union, this was done without justification or consultation with the employee representatives.
After more than five years of efficient work in the current context of remote work, many of our colleagues have built or rebuilt their lives (family life, housing, parenthood, etc.) and simply cannot return to previous working conditions. Our employer knows this very well.
The consequence of his decision will be the loss of jobs for our colleagues, the disorganization of many game projects and a drastic increase in psychosocial risks for those who remain.
Similar to the previous negotiations, the proposals from Ubisoft are unacceptable, the organization of the negotiations is terrible, and they have not engaged with the proposals of the employee representatives.
Ubisoft strike in France
The employees are now to express their dissatisfaction in a major strike. STJV calls on all Ubisoft employees in France to go on strike on October 15, 16 and 17.
Among other things, they are demanding a formal agreement on remote working that is reached through proper negotiations and an increase in all salaries to compensate for the decline in their standard of living in recent years.
The gaming industry has not had an easy time of it in the last year. One wave of layoffs after another cost thousands of employees their jobs. But this trend continued this year as well. Studios like Piranha Bytes were closed and promising games were canceled.
In the box, you can find out more about the current situation at Ubisoft. We’ve also linked to the latest episode of the DevPlay podcast, in which a developer reveals where the money from game sales actually goes.
