Ubisoft Barcelona staff strike over proposed layoffs

• The strike will run until July 17th.
• Employees also want protections against future mass layoffs for at least five years.
• Staff are demanding previously agreed promotions be honoured. 

Staff at Ubisoft Barcelona have gone on strike in protest over proposed layoffs that could result in 51 employees losing their jobs.

As reported by Insider Gaming, the industrial action is being organised by Spanish union La Confederación General del Trabajo and is scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from June 30th through July 17th. 

Worker demands

Workers are calling for a binding agreement on a new studio mandate that would ensure all 51 affected employees keep their jobs. 

They are also seeking stronger job protections that would prevent Ubisoft from carrying out another mass layoff at the Barcelona studio for a minimum of five years. Staff have also asked for previously agreed promotions to be implemented and a review of the studio's salary improvement plan.

The proposed layoffs were announced earlier this year alongside the closure of Ubisoft's Winnipeg and Belgrade studios, amid sweeping cuts across the company over the last few years.

The publisher is currently restructuring around new 'creative houses' following a $1.25bn investment from Tencent into a newly created Ubisoft subsidiary, Vantage Studios.