Investigation, Stock Market Drops, and Now Employee Strike. Ubisoft's Problems Spring Up
Ubisoft not only has problems in the stock market but also has to face dissatisfied employees. A three-day protest by people employed by the French company is about to begin.
Yesterday, Ubisoft experienced the culmination of problems that had been intensifying over the past few weeks, resulting in a heavy loss in the stock market for the company. As if that wasn't enough, the developer will also face a strike by employees at the company's French branches. The national labor union for people working in the video game industry (French: Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo) has urged them to vocally oppose its leaders.
The decision to start the protest came immediately after talks on the division of profits broke down. The management’s proposals were unacceptable to the trade unionists, which they emphasized in a published statement.
Dispute about remote work
As we read on the official STJV website, one of the main reasons for the general protest is forcing all employees to return to the offices for at least three days a week. This decision wasn't supposed to be discussed with the employed representatives earlier.
The organizers of the strike point out that in the last five years, effective remote work has helped many people stabilize their family lives. According to unionists, forcing them to be present at Ubisoft branches may lead to resignation from work, disorganization of duties in projects, or an increase in psychosocial disorders.
It's worth mentioning here that the developer offered his employees full-time remote work or a hybrid arrangement, where some duties could be performed in the office and some at home, depending on the position held. The STJV group highlighted, however, that the new conditions apply to all employees. So it seems that the company has completely abandoned remote work in France.
Three-day strike of Ubisoft employees in October
The protest organized by the trade union has been spread over three days: October 15, 16, and 17, 2024. During this time, the studio employees will be demanding the fulfillment of several demands:
- negotiation of remote work rules between the management and representatives of the employed persons;
- immediate wage increase, especially for those earning the least;
- restoration of profit participation at the level of 60%;
- elimination of the gender pay gap;
- listening to the opinions of employees through "social dialogue."
Interestingly, an invitation was also extended to colleagues from other countries who also work at Ubisoft at the end of the "call." They are also supposed to mobilize - does this mean much larger protests within the French studio? We will see how this situation develops.
