Dozens of laid-off Ubisoft employees and CWA union representatives braved the bitter cold downtown Thursday morning to speak out about the closure of Halifax’s main gaming studio.
Lead programmer Jon Huffman says Ubisoft Halifax was the first North American studio to unionize, which made the shut down three weeks ago even more of a surprise to him and his 70 other colleagues.
The company offered employees a compensation of two months’ salary, but Huffman says they’re still waiting for CWA to negotiate a better deal.
“Regarding the severance that Ubisoft has mentioned so far, it’s really only been a mention. There’s been a little bit of movement in negotiation, and you’ll see one of the signs here that my colleagues has done up mentions asking whether or not that generous severance is in the room with us, because so far, we haven’t been able to see it,” Huffman shares.
Ubisoft rally in Halifax. (Photo: Natalie Chiasson/Acadia Broadcasting)
Official opposition critic for Labor and Skills, Paul Wozney, explains that the $12 million in provincial money and tax credits the company benefited from didn’t have the same provisions that protect Nova Scotia workers from the ‘dine and dash approach’ Ubisoft has taken.
“They’ve taken public money and they’ve run,” says Wozney. “I think it puts a real dent in the ability of Nova Scotia to attract top talent for the gaming industry that makes us a staple, you know, a place where people want to build games.”
In a recent report, CWA President, Carmel Smyth, says Ubisoft employs over four thousand workers across Canada, and “there is no reason it can’t find other work for everyone.”
Huffman says he’s been working in the video game industry for 15 years, and that the Ubisoft team is “genuinely the best group I’ve ever worked with.” He wants to see the team continue working together.
One Ubisoft development tester, Cait Clegg, says, “Ubisoft was kind of like an anchor for the Maritimes in regards to people getting their first steps into the gaming industry. And now that it’s gone, like that pillar is gone. So I would love to stay local, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to do.”
Ubisoft rally in Halifax. (Photo: Natalie Chiasson/Acadia Broadcasting)
The CWA previously issued a statement raising questions about the timing of the shutdown, noting that it’s unlawful in Canada for a business to close because its workers decide to unionize.
Now, the Ubisoft Halifax team is calling on the Minister of Labour and Skills, Nolan Young, to help enforce these laws and push the company to reopen.
“We’re not asking for a lot there. We’re just asking for you to stand by what’s right and what’s already law. We’d love to have a conversation with Minister Young,” pleads Huffman. “We’ve always been clear that we’re willing to work with Ubisoft as long as they’re willing to work with us.”
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