Ubisoft staff in France strike over home working
Workers at video game giant Ubisoft began three days of strike action in France on Tuesday, October 15, in a dispute over home working and pay, hitting a firm already struggling with poor sales and a collapsing share price.
Titles such as "Star Wars Outlaws", "Skull and Bones" and the new episode of "Prince of Persia" have failed to impress, and the company spooked investors by delaying the latest release of the "Assassin's Creed" franchise to next year.
The value of Ubisoft shares has collapsed by more than 40% since the beginning of the year, touching their lowest level in 10 years in September.
This week's strike, sparked by a September message from management insisting on a return to three days working in the office for all staff worldwide, follows on from another walkout in February when hundreds in France joined a dispute over pay.
Unions said they had received no response to the grievances aired in February and that the September message was "the straw that broke the camel's back." Clement Montigny of the STJV union told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the move to in-person working broke promises made to staff and "calls into question the way they organize their lives."
