Ubisoft Paris Employees Urged to Strike by French Union

A French union, Solidaires Informatique, has announced plans for a half-day work stoppage at Ubisoft's Paris office, reacting to the company's recent strategic shift and financial forecast revisions. This move follows Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot's remarks about reducing operational costs through restructuring, asset divestment, and natural staff attrition. The union interprets this as a euphemism for staff cuts, studio closures, and salary reductions. It also criticizes a recent letter from Guillemot, urging employees to maximize efficiency, which the union views as an implicit call for overtime and a pressure tactic that could lead to burnout. In response, Solidaires Informatique is calling for a strike on Friday, 27 January, from 2 pm to 6 pm. The union's key demands include an immediate 10% salary increase to counteract inflation, improved working conditions such as a four-day workweek, greater transparency regarding workforce changes, and a pledge to avoid coercive dismissal practices and abusive management policies that force employees to quit.