Last week, around 700 Ubisoft employees in France went on strike in search of better pay. Yet, despite the walkout encouraging hundreds of employees to take to the streets, Ubisoft has yet to acknowledge the demands of its staff.
The strike took place on February 14, 2024, and came after Ubisoft reportedly offered raises of between 2 to 3 percent to workers in France. A union representative last week told Game Developer that’s less than the “terrible” raises touted in 2023, and comes with Ubisoft reporting better than expected financial results during the current fiscal year.
In the wake of the strike, French union STJV, which called for the walkout alongside Solidaires informatique, said employees in Bordeaux, Lyon, Annecy, Montpellier, and Paris had joined in the “historic action.”
“The pickets were well manned, and we want to specifically thank colleagues from other companies and students who came to support us. This proves the struggle will always bring us all together,” it said in a thread on X.
“Our message to Ubisoft’s management is clear, especially when one takes into account that the company’s CEO once paraded around saying that ‘when a union gets in at Ubisoft is when I’ll leave.'”
An english language version of the pamphlet handed out at the strike (pictured above) called on all Ubisoft employees to join the walkout irrespective of whether they’re in a union, and outlined why staff are seeking a 5 percent wage increase.
“[The 5 percent raise] is equal to the group’s profitability (we are talking about fairness),” reads the leaflet. “It’s equal to 2023’s inflation (we’re asking to not lose any purchasing power). Management is defending ‘very positive results’ to its shareholders.”
The pamphlet adds that video game employees are already underpaid when compared to workers with similar qualifications in France, and states that improving Ubisoft’s economic conditions will ultimately result in “producing games with better quality.”
“Our employer has benefited from a monumental income during successive confinements, we cannot tolerate being treated as expendable to mitigate their bad decisions,” it continues.
Ubisoft has not responded to striking workers’ demands
Following the strike, Game Developer was told by a union rep that Ubisoft hasn’t responded to those demands but said “we’re open to any conversation with high management.” They also suggested that another walkout is possible if Ubisoft doesn’t reconsider its position.
“For other strikes in the future, it is a possibility we’ve talked about during the strike with other colleagues. People seemed open to it. Yet we need to see first how the management responds to this one and how it will handle labour negotiations with us in the future,” they said. “[We’re] hoping it will evolve into a more open discussion with them, which will be beneficial for both of the employees and the company.”
Game Developer has reached out to Ubisoft for comment.
