Union files labour complaint after Ubisoft shuts down Halifax studio

A union has filed a labour complaint against Ubisoft after it shut down a Halifax studio.

CWA Canada, which represents more than 6,000 workers across Canada, is accusing video game company Ubisoft of shutting down its Halifax studio to keep out a union that recently formed there.

Ubisoft, the Paris-based company behind franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, closed its Halifax studio on Jan. 7 as part of what it called ongoing efforts to “streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.”

The closure put 71 employees out of work.

A few weeks before the shutdown, 61 of those workers joined CWA Canada Local 3111, becoming the first Ubisoft to unionize in North America.

CWA Canada says it has filed a complaint with the Nova Scotia Labour Board in the wake of the closure, calling for better compensation and new jobs for the laid-off workers.

“It’s against the law to stop workers from joining a union in Canada, but the slap on the wrist employers often get is not enough to stop this,” CWA Canada president Carmel Smyth said in a news release. “The penalty should reflect the reality of intentional corporate bullying.

“Ubisoft took $12 million in taxpayer money from the government of Nova Scotia to nurture a generation of talent, and to build a tech industry. Now it’s walking away without so much as an apology.”

Ubisoft previously said the decision to close the Halifax studio was not related to the unionization effort, noting that it “fully respects employees’ right to unionize.”

The company, which has seven remaining studios in Canada, said none of the Halifax ex-employees will be transferred to other teams.

The Halifax studio formed in 2010 and joined Ubisoft in 2015. It focused on free-to-play mobile games like Assassin’s Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile.

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