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02/1/2022 1:03 pm
Last week it was revealed that ActivisionBlizzard had completely rejected the idea of the new union composed of some employees of Raven Software. Basically, Activision told them that they were not willing to officially recognize the union unless all employees were involved, and now they have shared an aggressive message against these workers.
via the channel slack of the company, Chris ArendsVice President of Quality Assurance within Activision, published a message dedicated to all those employees who were in favor of unionization, pointing out basically all the negative points that these actions could have. Here is an excerpt from that statement:
“Is it true that the union will protect employees and provide employees with job security?
Job security here at Activision Blizzard rests on our ability to produce epic entertainment content for our fans. A union does nothing to help us produce world-class games, and the problem-solving process is often slow, reduces flexibility, and can create a bad image. All of this impacts our ability to keep making great games. Although many unionization contracts include a “just cause” clause, this is really just another way to deal with disciplinary issues. Even union opponents with “just cause” and due process allow companies to enforce disciplinary rules, and even with these so-called protections, employees continue to be fired.
How does dealing with a union compare to a direct relationship with the company in terms of changes for an individual employee?
In a direct relationship model, where you and the company share the same goal, resolution is easy, and the company can make changes quickly. In a union model, these changes can only be carried out quickly when the union has exactly the same goal without considering additional ones. It usually takes months or years to reach a collective agreement. A unionized company cannot make quick changes on its own if the union does not agree to them. In both situations, the company has the right to disagree and maintain a different position.”
Obviously, the intention ActivisionBlizzard with this statement is to prevent at all costs that the issue of unionization spread even more. However, considering how the situation is currently, it was to be expected that this information would be made public, which does not bode well for the executives.
Publisher’s note: I think Activision Blizzard is certainly not dealing with the situation as well as they should. A union could provide many benefits for workers, although legally speaking it is quite complicated for large companies. The situation will continue to evolve in the coming days, or even months, so be patient with its possible resolution.
Via: Kotaku
