'Management does not seem to understand the consequences that its project represents for the workers it wishes to push out.'
Independent game worker union STJV has called on Don't Nod staff to enact an extended strike in support of employees at risk of layoffs.
The strike was approved by around 90 percent of Don't Nod workers who voted in a general assembly. STJV said it wants employees to participate in a "renewable strike" starting on January 13, 2025, to push management to engage with its demands in relation to a proposed restructuring plan.
The French union repeatedly called for walkouts and strikes in 2024 after Don't Nod announced plans to cut up to 69 jobs as part of a "reorganization project" studio leadership claimed would ensure its long-term future.
"Amid deteriorating results, and despite the actions already taken, the company is now compelled to consider a reorganization project to safeguard its competitiveness in an increasingly demanding and competitive ecosystem," wrote the Jusant and Lost Records: Bloom and Rage developer when discussing its half-year results in October 2024.
In response, STJV claimed studio management was making employees pay for their "crass ineptitude" while also stifling the union's ability to negotiate effectively by reducing time limits and resources to the "bare legal minimum." The union implored management to engage with employee representatives and initially called for a walkout.
It then called for strikes in November and December and issued four key demands (pictured below).
Now, months later, STJV claims Don't Nod's response to negotiations has been inadequate.
"Negotiations between STJV and Don't Nod management about the layoffs plan are not conducive to any serious promise to employees. Despite huge efforts from the union delegates to reach a deal, management's offers remain insignificant," wrote the union in its latest update.
"We tried everything to negotiate within reason, and assumed good faith from our interlocutors. Today, the previsional date for a potential deal has passed and we still didn't even get to talk about crucial elements such as the conditions under which people would leave the company (severance pay, packages for voluntary departures…).
"Negotiations only revolved around potential reductions in forced departures, over which management still intends to keep total control, which would allow them to remain extremely close to their initial project."
STJV claims studio leaders are only interested in stalling for time and don't wish to negotiate seriously.
Game Developer has reached out to Don't Nod and STJV for more information about those negations and the restructuring plan.
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