Unanimous demand from the unions: that Ubisoft management does not force employees to return at least three days a week in person, especially since teleworking had in some way become the rule since the health crisis.
After several strikes, the French video game giant is holding a “social consultation“, Wednesday January 22 and wants “appease” tensions by bringing together unions and staff representatives. The French publisher wishes “establish (its) 2025 work plan on social issues” et “allow the company to regain its serenity“, he said when this meeting was announced in December.
Meetings with staff representatives will take place in its various French studios, notably in Paris, Montpellier and Annecy, while union delegates will be received at Ubisoft headquarters, in the Paris suburbs. In 2024, Ubisoft faced several strikes, notably in February and October, relating to remuneration and teleworking conditions. “I have the example of a friend to whom the HR department said, 'with your salary, it's better to live far from Paris and only come back a few days a month'”explains Pierre-Étienne Marx, delegate of the National Union of Video Game Workers (STJV).
“These are people who did this with confidencecontinues the trade unionist. We have people who we have recruited explicitly to work remotely. Today, we have the impression of returning to the terms of a contract”, denounces Pierre-Étienne Marx. To the point, according to the union, that 200 of the 800 employees of Ubisoft's Parisian studio say they are ready to leave the company in the event of an imposed return to face-to-face work.
-In turmoil on the financial markets after several games with disappointing sales and the postponement of the new episode of its flagship game Assassin’s CreedUbisoft indicated in early January that it was considering several options “strategic and capitalistic” for its future, while rumors of takeover by the Chinese group Tencent and exit from the stock market are becoming more and more insistent.
“We can say that it has gone beyond the rumor stage today, says Pierre-Étienne Marx. If this is a more or less disguised form of sales, it would be absolutely tragic”. The group, which had 18,666 employees worldwide at the end of September, launched a global savings plan almost two years ago leading to the departure of nearly 2,000 employees, via unreplaced departures and layoffs.
The subject should not, however, be discussed on Wednesday, with management explaining that it wants to initiate joint work with the unions on the modalities of social dialogue to “allow the company to regain its serenity”she indicated when this meeting was announced in December. Meetings with staff representatives will take place in its various French studios, notably in Paris, Montpellier and Annecy, while union delegates will be received at Ubisoft headquarters, in the Paris suburbs.
