700 Ubisoft workers strike in France over failed salary negotiations

"The message to Ubisoft's management is extremely clear".

Image credit: STJV

News by Matt Wales News Reporter

Published on 16 Feb 2024

Over 700 unionised Ubisoft employees working across the company's French studios have taken part in an organised day of strike action after annual salary negotiations collapsed.

The strike, organised by French game workers union STJV (Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo), took place on 14th February across Ubisoft's Paris, Montpellier, Annecy, Lyon, and Bordeaux studios. The STJV had called for action at the start of this month, saying annual salary negotiations had reached an unsatisfactory conclusion.

"In recent weeks," the STJV wrote in a statement shared at the time, "Mandatory Annual Negotiations on salaries have taken place in several Ubisoft entities in France, and the STJV was obviously present. Despite concerted efforts by union organisations to find an acceptable compromise, negotiations hit a wall."

The STJV accused Ubisoft management of offering a "budget for increases below inflation, for the second year in a row", saying the company was hiding behind a "purely arbitrary cost reduction policy". "How do we correlate this contempt with our CEO's exhortations to 'gain agility and efficiency'?," it wrote. "How could we accept such a low level of increases when the company boasts of a second quarter 'well beyond [our] expectations', while wanting to 'pay tribute to the exceptional commitment of the teams'? This reward system seems very poorly balanced to us."

"That a company that continues to make profits, despite multi-deficient management, decides to make employees pay to increase its profits," the union statement continued, "is simply unacceptable." The STJV finished by calling for strike action "for all French entities belonging to the Ubisoft group" on 14th February.

Following Wednesday's strike, the STJV shared an update on a social media, writing that it had "finished counting the numbers and... nearly 700 Ubisoft employees took part in the nationwide strike". It added, "The pickets were very well attended, and we're particularly grateful to colleagues from other companies and students who came out to lend their support, proving that the struggle will always bring us together."

"The message to Ubisoft's management is extremely clear, in a company where the CEO once strutted around claiming that 'when a union comes to Ubisoft, I'll leave'".

This week's strike action follows recent criticism of another French studio by the STJV. In a report published last week, the union accused Banishers: Ghosts of Eden and Jusant developer Don't Nod of mismanagement, saying, "In a studio where each project erratically follows another, time and long-term vision required for the employees' welfare is disappearing."

The STJV's concerns of employee mistreatment come in a year that has already been devastating for workers across the games industry, with at least 6,000 layoffs having been announced since 2024 began - compared to the 10,500 job cuts made across the whole of last year.

Teamsters union strikes Molson Coors as it prepares to walk out at Anheuser-Busch next week

By Chris Isidore, CNN
Tue February 20, 2024

Picket lines seen Monday at the Molson Coors brewery in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Courtesy International Brotherhood of Teamsters

New York CNN —

More than 400 Teamsters are on strike at the Molson Coors brewery in Fort Worth, Texas, impacting production for North America’s second largest brewer.

The work stoppage, which began Saturday, comes ahead of a March 1 strike deadline that the Teamsters have set for 5,000 members at Anheuser-Busch, the nation’s largest brewer. In its most recent statement on the state of those talks the union said a strike at Anheuser-Busch “appears unavoidable.”

The Molson Coors strike comes as the company has been reporting strong sales and profits. Last week it reported underlying earnings of $1.5 billion before taxes for 2023, up 39% from a year earlier. Full-year revenue rose 9% to $11.7 billion.

“Last year we achieved the highest reported top and bottom-line figures in the history of our company,” said CEO Gavin Hattersley when reporting results. “We plan to build on this momentum in 2024.”

The union claims the company’s offer was “insulting” considering how well it is doing financially, offering less than a $1 per hour wage increase for the majority of Teamsters members.

“As long as the profits keep flowing to the top, Molson Coors doesn’t give a damn if the workers inside its breweries can afford to take care of their families,” said Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. “Millions go to the CEO, billions go to Wall Street and a middle finger goes to the workers. We’re not taking the disrespect, we’re not accepting the crumbs and we’re not making concessions.

Molson Coors said about 30% of its North American work force is unionized, but much of that is the workers at three Canadian breweries. In addition to those three facilities, it operates six US breweries, including Fort Worth.

The company said it has excess capacity at its other five US breweries, and that it built up inventory of its product ahead of the possible strike.

“While we respect the union’s right to strike, we have strong contingency plans and are well equipped to ensure consumers will be able to buy their favorite Molson Coors products,” said the company’s statement. It defended its offer to the union, which it said “exceeds local market rates.”

“We remain committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to everyone,” it said.

Thousands of Minnesota union members make plans for simultaneous early March strikes

• Kyle Stokes  Feb 22, 2024 -News

'

Leaders of multiple labor unions and allied organizations held a press conference at St. Paul City Hall to announce plans to simultaneously strike during the first week of March. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios

At least four Minnesota labor unions are making plans to potentially go on strike all at once during the first week of March unless their demands are met.

Why it matters: Simultaneous strikes by thousands of essential workers — including janitors, security guards, nursing home workers, and Minneapolis public works employees — could cause disruptions across the Twin Cities and would also reflect the growing clout of Minnesota unions.

Between the lines: "It's very unusual for workers across unions … to engage in concerted labor actions," said labor economist Aaron Sojourner, who noted that coordinating the expiration dates of each union's contract would take years of planning.

Driving the news: Five unions, including St. Paul Public Schools teachers, have already voted to authorize possible strikes. Together, these unions represent more than 13,000 workers.

• By week's end, that number could grow to nearly 15,000 as additional nursing home employees take their own strike authorization votes.
• The number of nursing homes where workers have authorized 24-hour strikes has already grown from seven to 12 in recent days, leaders of their unions said at a Thursday press conference.

What they're saying: The unions are still in negotiations with their respective employers, and "We hope that those who make decisions in our community will come to the table with fair settlements," said Greg Nammacher, president of SEIU Local 26, which represents nearly 8,000 janitors and security guards.

• Each union has different demands, ranging from pay increases and stronger benefits packages to new on-the-job safety standards.

What we're watching: Whether St. Paul teachers will be among the strikers. Union president Leah VanDassor — who spoke at the Thursday press conference of labor leaders and allies — said the teachers are not yet able to legally set a strike date.

• Once the union has been in mediation for 30 days, it can set a strike date with at least ten days' notice. That deadline is coming up "soon," VanDassor said, declining to be more specific.

The big picture: "Labor has more bargaining power than in decades," said Sojourner, of the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. The economy is strong, productivity is high, and workers are scarce — all of which emboldens unions to make ambitious asks, he added.

• Last year, unions nationwide called 470 strikes, up from 279 in 2021, Axios Markets' Emily Peck reported.

What's next: Multiple unions have set a March 2 deadline to have their demands met.

SOLIDARITY FOREVER 

Fran Drescher Gives ‘Hot Labor Summer’ a Shout-Out

By Jennifer Zhan, 

a Vulture news blogger covering TV, movies and music

FEB. 24, 2024

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

“You are the champions,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told the crowd at the union’s most glamorous meeting of the year. During her nearly four-minute speech at the SAG Awards, Drescher criticized AI, reflected on the importance of women who can lead and “still rock a red lip,” and reminded everyone that we all “hold in our hearts the gentle whisper of true love.” But the majority of her remarks were devoted to praising the members who participated in the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA’s history. “Your collective dignity and perseverance to stand up and say we deserve better because we are better resulted in a historic billion-dollar deal,” she told the room. “Your solidarity ignited workers around the world, triggering what forever will be remembered as the hot labor summer.”

Throughout the night, several nominees and presenters also took time to acknowledge the impact of the Hollywood strikes. While opening the ceremony, Idris Elba took a moment to “honor and appreciate” everyone who “stood up for SAG-AFTRA.” In her acceptance speech, Lily Gladstone noted that it’s been a “hard year” and expressed her pride in having “gotten here in solidarity with all of our other unions.” Sorry, AMPTP, but it looks like the post-strike solidarity is going strong.

SAG Awards: Fran Drescher Says 2023 Strike “Set the Trajectory for Many Generations to Come”

The president of the actors' union also took a shot at AI in her remarks, saying it will "entrap us in a matrix where no one knows what's real."


BY KATIE KILKENNY

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

FEBRUARY 24, 2024

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Fran Drescher 

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher resurfaced the union’s 118-day strike in remarks at the guild’s award ceremony on Saturday night, saying that union members “set the trajectory for many generations to come” during the work stoppage.

Drescher called the actors union’s approximately 160,000 members the “champions” of the night in a speech during the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards. “You survived the longest strike in our union’s history with courage and conviction. The journey was arduous, it came with great sacrifice and unrelenting stress,” she said. “Your solidarity ignited workers around the world, triggering what forever be remembered as the hot labor summer.” She added that “this was a seminal moment in our union’s history that has set the trajectory for many generations to come, not afraid but brave, not weak but powered, not peons but partners.”

She also took a shot at AI — which SAG-AFTRA’s 2023 TV/theatrical contract tackles — saying it will “entrap us in a matrix where no one knows what’s real.” Rather, she said, “We should tell stories that spark the human spirit, connect us to the natural world and awaken our capacity to love unconditionally.”

The 2023 actors’ strike was also fresh in the minds of contenders, presenters and union officials at Saturday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. Noting the past year had been a difficult one due to the strikes, Luther actor Idris Elba took a moment in his opening monologue to “honor and appreciate all of you both here and at home that stood up for SAG-AFTRA in solidarity and support.”

Accepting the best performance by a cast in a motion picture award for Oppenheimer, Kenneth Branagh noted that the SAG-AFTRA ceremony was a “full-circle moment” for the ensemble, because during the film’s London premiere on July 14, 2023 the cast walked out due to the then-upcoming strike. “Thank you, thank you, thank you SAG-AFTRA, thank you for this, thank you for fighting for us. Thank you for every SAG-AFTRA member whose support and whose sacrifice allows us to be standing here better than we were before,” he said.

On the red carpet, Lawmen: Bass Reeves star David Oyelowo emphasized the joy of getting back to work after his union’s strike ended on Nov. 9, 2023. “It’s that thing, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “So of course there’s a level of appreciation and gratitutde that we get to go back and do what we love.” He said he was reminded of the importance of solidarity from the strikes because as an actor it’s a “lonely journey” but “in a moment like this, where everyone was in this thing together as actors, I think that was very galvanizing and brought people together as a community again in a more broad way. I think hopefully we can hold on to a bit of that.”

Succession star Alan Ruck added that the biggest lesson he gleaned from the strike was to “just stand up for what you believe in. If something’s wrong, you need to say something about it.”

Abbott Elementary actor Chris Perfetti noted, “We had a wild year and here we are still celebrating, and we have a lot to celebrate. It’s kind of emotional that we’re all dressing up and carrying on as usual. It’s a good feeling.” He added that the strikes “solidified the fact that this business and any endeavor as an artist is a roller coaster.”

SAG-AFTRA executive vp Linda Powell had a ringside seat to the negotiations, as she served as vice chair of the 2023 TV/Theatrical negotiating committee. On the red carpet, Powell said of the energy in the room at the SAG Awards, “Everybody is ready to celebrate, everybody is looking forward to this year, taking advantage of the wins and the new sense of collective energy that we’ve got going into this.” She added, “One of the big things we talked about throughout the strike was the importance of the humanity that we bring into the room when we go to work, and tonight we celebrate the people who bring a human face to these films.”

The 2024 SAG Awards took place at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, and streamed live on Netflix, a little over three months following the end of SAG-AFTRA’s strike

South Korea gives protesting doctors end-Feb deadline to return to work

By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park

February 25, 2024

South Korean doctors march to the Presidential Office to protest against the government's medical policy in Seoul, South Korea, February 25, 2024. 

REUTERS/Kim Soo-Hyeon 

SEOUL, Feb 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's government on Monday told young doctors they had until the end of February to return to work or risk being punished for staging a week-long protest that has disrupted services for patients at several major hospitals.

Two-thirds of the nation's residents and intern doctors had walked off the job to protest a government plan to increase the number of students admitted to medical school in a bid to address what authorities say is a shortage of doctors that is set to worsen in one of the world's fastest ageing societies.

The protest has forced hospitals to turn away patients and cancel procedures.
"Considering the gravity of the situation, the government issues the last plea," safety minister Lee Sang-min said at the opening of a task-force meeting, adding that chaos was mounting in hospitals and emergency services had reached a "dangerous situation".

"If you return to the hospital you left behind by Feb. 29, you won't be held responsible for what has already happened," he said. "We urge you to remember your voice will be heard loudly and most effectively when you are by the side of patients."

The government has previously warned that it could take legal action against doctors who do not comply with a back-to-work order, including prosecution, possible arrest and stripping them of their medical licences.

The young doctors who are protesting say the government should first address pay and working conditions before trying to increase the number of physicians.

Vice health minister Park Min-soo said those who did not return by March 1 will face a minimum three-month suspension of their medical licence among other legal action.

Senior doctors and private practitioners have not joined the walkout but have held rallies urging the government to scrap its plan to boost medical school quotas.
Many South Koreans support the plan, which has been spearheaded by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
A recent Gallup Korea poll showed about 76% of respondents approved of the plan, regardless of their political affiliation and a separate opinion poll by Realmeter released on Monday showed that Yoon's approval rating had risen to 41.9%, the first time in eight months it has topped the 40% level.

In a package of policy plans to improve medical services, the government said it will increase the number of new medical students by 2,000 a year and expand legal protection against malpractice suits and prosecution.

It also plans to give incentives for doctors to practice in essential disciplines such as paediatrics and general surgery and in regional areas where shortage of doctors is more serious.

Some doctors, however, say the government's plan is aimed at winning more votes in the April general election. In a statement, medical professors at Seoul National University, which runs one of the top medical schools in the country, called on the authorities to postpone discussing the plan until after the elections.

Reporting by Jack Kim and Ju-min Park; Editing by Ed Davies and Miral Fahmy

Seoul gives young doctors 4 days to end walkouts, threatening prosecutions or suspended licenses

Story by By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press • 

South Korean Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo speaks during a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. South Korea's government gave striking young doctors four days to report back to work, saying Monday that they won't be punished if they return by the deadline but will face indictments and suspensions of medical licenses if they don't. 

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Junior doctors in South Korea have four days to end their walkouts, the government said Monday, or they could face prosecution or have their medical licenses suspended.

About 9,000 medical interns and residents have stayed off the job since early last week to protest a government plan to increase medical school admissions by about 65%. The walkouts have severely hurt the operations of their hospitals, with numerous cancellations of surgeries and other treatments.

Government officials say adding more doctors is necessary to deal with South Korea’s rapidly aging population. The country's current doctor-to-patient ratio is among the lowest in the developed world.



Doctors march toward the presidential office during a rally against the government's medical policy in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. The South Korean government on Wednesday warned thousands of striking doctors to return to work immediately or face legal action after their collective walkouts caused cancellations of surgeries and disrupted other hospital operations. 

The strikers say universities can’t handle so many new students and argue the plan would not resolve a chronic shortage of doctors in some key but low-paying areas like pediatrics and emergency departments.

Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during a televised briefing Monday that the government won’t seek any disciplinary action against striking doctors if they return to work by Thursday.


Doctors march toward the presidential office during a rally against the government's medical policy in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. The South Korean government on Wednesday warned thousands of striking doctors to return to work immediately or face legal action after their collective walkouts caused cancellations of surgeries and disrupted other hospital operations. 

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

“We want them to return to work by the end of this month, Feb. 29. If they return to the hospitals they had left by then, we won’t hold them responsible” for any damages caused by their walkouts, Park said. “It's not too late. Please, return to patients immediately.”

But he said those who don't meet the deadline will be punished with a minimum three-month suspension of their medical licenses and face further legal steps such as investigations and possible indictments.

Under South Korea’s medical law, the government can issue back-to-work orders to doctors and other medical personnel when it sees grave risks to public health. Refusing to abide by such an order can bring suspensions of their licenses and up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($22,480) in fines. Those who receive prison sentences would be stripped of their medical licenses.

There are about 13,000 medical interns and residents in South Korea, most of them working and training at 100 hospitals. They typically assist senior doctors during surgeries and deal with inpatients. They represent about 30% to 40% of total doctors at some major hospitals.



Doctors stage a rally against the government's medical policy near the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. The South Korean government on Wednesday warned thousands of striking doctors to return to work immediately or face legal action after their collective walkouts caused cancellations of surgeries and disrupted other hospital operations. 

The Korea Medical Association, which represents about 140,000 doctors in South Korea, has said it supports the striking doctors, but hasn't determined whether to join the trainee doctors' walkouts. Senior doctors have held a series of rallies voicing opposition to the government's plan in recent days.

Earlier this month, the government announced universities would admit 2,000 more medical students starting next year, from the current 3,058. The government says it aims to add up to 10,000 doctors by 2035.

Striking doctors have said they worry doctors faced with increased competition would engage in overtreatment, burdening public medical expenses.

A public survey showed that about 80% of South Koreans back the plan. Critics suspect doctors, one of the best-paid professions in South Korea, oppose the recruitment plan because they worry they would face greater competition and lower incomes.

Park said the country's medical service for emergency and critical patients remain stable, with public medical facilities extending their working hours and military hospitals opening emergency rooms to ordinary patients. But local media reported that an octogenarian suffering a cardiac arrest was declared dead last Friday after seven hospitals turned her away citing a lack of medical staff or other reasons likely related to the walkouts.


Doctors stage a rally against the government's medical policy near the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. The South Korean government on Wednesday warned thousands of striking doctors to return to work immediately or face legal action after their collective walkouts caused cancellations of surgeries and disrupted other hospital operations. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)© Provided by The Associated Press

Hwang Byung-tae, a 55-year-old laryngeal cancer patient, said he has regularly visited a Seoul hospital for treatment for four years. Last week, he said he had to leave the hospital without receiving an anti-cancer injection because of the walkouts.


Doctors march toward the presidential office during a rally against the government's medical policy in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. The South Korean government on Wednesday warned thousands of striking doctors to return to work immediately or face legal action after their collective walkouts caused cancellations of surgeries and disrupted other hospital operations. 

Hwang accused both the government and doctors of holding the lives of patients hostage. “It’s patients like me who end up suffering and dying, not them,” Hwang said.

___

PHOTOS

(Bae Jae-man/Yonhap via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)© Provided by The Associated Press

Associated Press writer Jiwon Song in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.

UK

Translink: Bus and rail strikes suspended after latest pay offer

BBC

TranslinkPublic transport will be running as normal this week

A 72-hour strike by bus and train workers in Northern Ireland, planned for later this week, has been suspended.

The Unite, GMB and Siptu unions had notified Translink that they would take the action on 27, 28 and 29 February.

However, following talks on Sunday the unions said there had been an improved pay offer from Translink.

The three public transport unions said they will now ballot their membership on the new offer.

In a statement, they said: "Pay negotiations between the transport unions and Translink management were reconvened today [Sunday] following the rejection of an initial pay offer by management on Thursday [22 February].

"Following the receipt of an improved pay offer for all Translink employees workforce reps suspended the planned 72-hour strike action set for 00:01 on Tuesday (27 February)."

A spokeswoman for Translink said it welcomed the decision to suspend the strike.

It is understood it could be later in the week before the outcome of the ballot of workers is known.

Union representative Peter Macklin said he was "encouraged" by the offer

Peter Macklin, GMB regional organiser, described the offer as "satisfactory and enough for us to suspend the strike action".

However, he would not give any further details of the pay offer before it could be communicated to union reps and members.

"We are encouraged by [the offer], but ultimately the members will have their say," he said.

Mr Macklin said the offer would go to GMB members with no recommendation to vote either for, or against.
Public sector pay dispute

He said he hoped to get ballots out to members this week.

Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd welcomed the suspension of the strikes, describing it as a "positive development".

Mr O'Dowd said he wanted to thank the unions and Translink management for their "determination to find a resolution to this dispute".

The minister said that resolving public sector pay quickly "has been a key priority" for the new executive.

Transport was one of the sectors affected by a huge public sector strike in January

The British government is expected to release a £3.3bn package now that power sharing has been restored at Stormont, about £580m of which is to settle public-sector pay claims.

On 18 January, 16 trade unions and tens of thousands of public sector workers took part in one of Northern Ireland's largest strikes, affecting many sectors including transport and health.


Public transport workers in Northern Ireland cancelled a strike that would have brought bus and rail services to a halt on 15 February.

That was to give political leaders space to make an improved pay offer, unions said.

German union announces more public transport strikes

Published February 22, 2024

Local trams and buses will not run during parts of next week across Germany. The main walkout day will be March 1, to coincide with a climate strike event planned by environmentalist group Fridays for Future.

Local public transport workers in Germany are planning to strike on different days next week in all states, except Bavaria, the trade union Verdi announced on Thursday. It said that March 1 will be the main strike day.

"In individual federal states, strikes will take place on different days during this period — mainly all day and mostly lasting several days," Verdi said.

Verdi's deputy head Christine Behle said the lack of progress in the collective bargaining negotiations prompted the union to call for another round of strikes.

"In order to finally get the negotiations moving, renewed pressure must now be exerted on the employers," she underlined. "That is why we are calling on employees to take concerted strike action."

What are the workers' demands?

Verdi, which represents some 90,000 transport workers at around 130 municipal transit agencies, is urging better working conditions for public transport employees.

Also among the demands are reduced weekly working hours and increased holiday entitlements.

Staff in Bavaria are also part of the negotiations but remain under contract and cannot take part in the strikes.

The workers have already staged several rounds of strikes in recent weeks amid tense collective bargaining talks.

Climate group Fridays for Future Germany has expressed support for the industrial action and said it will also stage demonstrations on March 1, demanding more action on climate change and greater investment in public transit.

What's behind the wave of strikes?

Germany has been hit recently by repeated strikes in the transport sector.

In January, the GDL train drivers' union staged a series of multi-day strikes to demand lower working hours and higher wages in contract negotiations with the national railway operator Deutsche Bahn.

Airport security and ground staff have also held several rounds of work stoppages, paralyzing many of the country's largest airports.

sri/wd,nm (dpa, Reuters)