Video game workers join general strike in Spain in pursuit of a better, more equitable future

Unionised game workers in Spain this week staged pickets outside of major studios such as EA and Ubisoft as part of a nationwide general strike—the first of its kind held in the country in 14 years. 

The largest labour unions in Spain called the strike, held on November 11, over soaring housing prices and the ongoing cost of living crisis. Thousands of workers mobilised across the region, including more than 120,000 people in Madrid alone. In some instances, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police officers (via The BBC). 

Speaking to Vertical Slice about what the strike meant to video game workers in the country, Confederación General del Trabajo (CSVI-CGT) union spokesperson Luca Macedo said developers are tired of being treated like second-class citizens by their employers.

CSVI-CGT, a game worker section within the larger CGT union, currently represents over 1,500 people. That includes 700 employees at EA in Madrid and hundreds spread across Ubisoft and King in Barcelona. There are others, too. Scopely. Gameloft. 2K Games. Madbox. Blizzard. Unity subsidiary Codice Software. The list goes on.

Like their peers around the world, Macedo explains Spanish developers are being subjected to ruthless mass layoffs, studio closures, sweeping return-to-office mandates, and minimum wage contract work that only propagates instability.

He says the broader CGT union was a big proponent of the general strike, but notes the union's cohort of video game workers focused on setting up "informative pickets" at key locations in an attempt to rally more people to the cause. 

"We set up here in Madrid, because I organise for Electronic Arts, Universally Speaking, and 2K. All three of them have very big problems," he says. "[...] At EA, I was there personally on the picket line, and they are very scared of the merger consequences with the Saudi Arabia fund. They were already hit with five layoffs during the last wave."

Some of the pickets were small in scale—perhaps five to 10 people—but those on the frontlines were united in their aim: mobilise workers to form and bolster union sections, elect worker committees, and strike up a bargaining agreement that will improve the lives of all employees.

Even at those companies that are perceived as stable, Macedo stresses that union-backed worker committees are essential to fighting injustice when it arises.

If you want evidence as to how much people in Spain—including video game labourers—care are about the current crisis, Macedo explains he, alongside many others, joined the march in Madrid during a torrential downpour. He says the protest was "going great" until the police intervened towards the end, targeting those involved with pepper spray and teargas.