Ubisoft hasn’t had one of the best couple of years. A string of flops and disappointments means the corporate isn’t in one of the best form because it heads into 2023, so in an try and get everybody firing final week CEO Yves Guillemot despatched an electronic mail to workers telling them “The ball is in your courtroom”. It didn’t go down effectively.
It was, actually, about as dangerous as one in every of these emails can get, doing the whole lot from blaming staff for poor outcomes to advocating for additional work. In consequence, the union Solidaires Informatique—which has members at Ubisoft’s Paris workplaces—has referred to as for a strike subsequent week.
The union is looking the strike to not solely protest Guillemot’s dismissive feedback, however to additionally name for higher pay and situations on the firm, particularly a ten% payrise to account for the inflation disaster and the implementation of a four-day working week.
Right here’s their assertion in full:
CALL FOR STRIKE UBISOFT PARIS
FRIDAY JANUARY 27-AFTERNOON
In response to Guillemot:
THE BALL IS IN OUR COURT
(however the cash stays in his pocket)
In his newest assertion, Mr. Guillemot proclaims a worrying future for Ubisoft.
If the request to workers to be “particularly cautious and strategic along with your spending” is ironic contemplating the corporate’s editorial technique of the previous few years, it isn’t humorous. When Mr. Guillemot speaks of “attrition” and “organizational changes”, it means: workers reductions, discreet studio closures, wage cuts, disguised layoffs, and many others.
On a number of events, Mr. Guillemot is attempting to shift the blame (as soon as once more) onto the workers; he expects us to be mobilized, to “give it our all”, to be “as environment friendly and lean as doable”. These phrases imply one thing: extra time, managerial stress, burnout, and many others.
Mr. Guillemot asks loads from his workers, however with none compensation. • Have salaries stored up with the excessive inflation of latest years?
• What concerning the implementation of the 4-day week?
• What has been put in place for the groups that come out of the productions exhausted (like these of Simply Dance or Mario)?
We demand:
– a direct 10% improve for all salaries, no matter annual will increase, to compensate for inflation. With the tons of of thousands and thousands of euros obtained from Tencent, there may be cash within the coffers of the employers.
– the advance of working situations, with particularly the implementation of the 4-day week.
– transparency on the evolution of the workforce, each domestically and globally.
– a robust dedication towards disguised dismissals and a condemnation of abusive managerial insurance policies that push workers to resign.
And since Mr. Guillemot and his clique solely perceive the connection of energy, Solidaires Informatique is looking on the workers of Ubisoft Paris to go on strike on Friday 27 January within the afternoon, from 2 to six pm.
G/O Media could get a fee
As much as $100 credit score
Samsung Reserve
Reserve the subsequent gen Samsung machine
All it is advisable to do is enroll along with your electronic mail and growth: credit score to your preorder on a brand new Samsung machine.
Subsequent fiscal yr, which runs via March 2024, Ubisoft mentioned it plans to launch a minimum of one further unannounced massive recreation moreover Cranium and Bones, Avatar, and Murderer’s Creed Mirage. Guillemot calls it “the most important pipeline in Ubisoft historical past” in his electronic mail to workers and mentioned he’s excited to share extra at this yr’s E3 convention in June.