The Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard has added two very powerful allies: the unions UNI Global Union and CWA. On the one hand, UNI Global Union is a Trade Union Federation based in Switzerland, which has affiliates in more than 150 countries and represents the interests of 20 million workers, in sectors such as video games, press, logistics and even Health. For its part, CWA (Communications Workers of America) is the strongest union in the United States, in addition to having a presence in Canada and Puerto Rico. And today, on the eve of the important hearing that will take place tomorrow in Brussels, the representatives of both unions have decided show your public support for the purchase of Activision Blizzard.
Something that is not surprising, since Activision Blizzard has been dragging several scandals around mobbing, bullying and harassment To their workers. However, UNI Global Union recognizes the power that Activision Blizzard workers will have if the agreement is carried out, since Microsoft promised to support those workers affiliated with UNI; a movement never seen before, as recognized by the Federation itself. Also, unlike Activision Blizzard to date, where unionization was virtually prohibited, Microsoft has this year accepted new union rights for Zenimax.
Given Activision Blizzard’s poor working conditions, union support may be key to supporting the buyout.
Unions promote the purchase of Activision Blizzard for the benefits it will have in the labor market:
The CWA union pronounces in the same sense. According to the insider @PostUp_bbb, the President of the CWA, Christopher Shelton , has sent a letter to the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, in which he states that, since 2021, the CWA has supported Activision Blizzard workers in their right to join unions and form them. Since then, they have suffered nothing but pressure against them, going so far as to denounce the harassment they were experiencing and file charges against their managers for sexual harassment, dire working conditions, and threats. However, the union recognizes that all this is likely to change with the arrival of Microsoft:
«When the purchase by Microsoft was announced, we studied the implications that it would have on the labor market and we were concerned about a possible growth in the power of the employer, in the face of a decrease in the power of the workers, which could worsen working conditions, giving rise to wage cuts or worsening bargaining conditions. But once we raised those concerns, we were able to talk to Microsoft, which led to an agreement to allow Activision Blizzard workers to have their employment rights guaranteed, should the agreement go through.
Microsoft’s commitments will allow workers to sit down to negotiate, ensuring that the Activision Blizzard acquisition benefits them and the gaming job market as a whole. Collective bargaining is an effective countermeasure against the rights of employers in the labor market, as has been proven for some time.
(…) With this process, the European Commission has a real chance to change labor rights in the video game market. Having seen the behavioral remedies offered, in the face of potential market damage, we hope they can agree to the acquisition and help make history by balancing power in the workplace.”