Last minute negotiations have failed and developers are taking to the streets again.

French unions are asking Ubisoft’s “home” studios to stop work for one day. On February 1st, the video game workers’ union Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo published a message about Ubisoft’s mandatory annual wage negotiations. The French publisher’s management has once again offered a below-inflation increase after 2023, while its financial results have been excellent, far exceeding expectations! The lower-than-expected increase was offered in order to meet cost-cutting targets, which are considered mandatory…

So, according to the union, there is a company that has made profits even though its management has failed several times in a row, and yet it decides not to increase the salaries of its employees in order to increase profits. They say this is unacceptable. They have been joined by another union, Solidaires Informatique. They have already had a dispute with Ubisoft over harassment in the workplace and the NFTs. They believe that workers deserve a real pay rise, not crumbs from management.

Solidaires Informatique said in another statement that they want a 5% pay rise, not the 2-3% offered depending on the studio. They see this low offer as encouraging a natural turnover of staff. “The increase is lower than last year, lower than inflation and lower than the group’s profitability. In other words, an unacceptable offer. Last year, the employees already “made an effort” by accepting a deterioration in their living conditions. Let’s face it: in the eyes of management, the decline in our standard of living is no longer a bug, but a feature,” their statement reads.

The suspension was originally scheduled for February 1, but was moved to today, the fourteenth. “Ubisoft cannot treat its employees like furniture!

Source: PCGamer