Tech sector  is currently offering very little job security for workers. Gareth Murphy, Head of Industrial Relations and Campaigns with the Financial Services Union (FSU), has described the announcement by games company VELA that fifty staff are to potentially lose their jobs as disappointing and a worrying development for the games sector. Mr Murphy has also called on Enterprise Ireland who have given financial assistance to the company to make a statement on the matter. Gareth Murphy, on behalf of GWUI (a branch of the FSU), responded to the announcement today by saying: “The FSU are su ..read more

FSU campaign for a living wage in the Game Sector starts to become a reality. The Financial Services Union has welcomed the decision by games studio Gambrinous to sign up to be a living wage employer and for its support of a living wage floor for the wider games sector. Game Workers Unite Ireland, a branch of the Financial Services Union (FSU)  in Ireland, launched a Living Wage campaign calling on all profitable games companies to ensure that no worker in their employment earns less than the Living Wage. Previous research by the union uncovered that 15% of staff in the sector appear to b ..read more

FSU campaign for a living wage in the Game Sector starts to become a reality. The Financial Services Union has welcomed the decision by games studio Gambrinous to sign up to be a living wage employer and for its support of a living wage floor for the wider games sector. Game Workers Unite Ireland, a branch of the Financial Services Union (FSU)  in Ireland, launched a Living Wage campaign calling on all profitable games companies to ensure that no worker in their employment earns less than the Living Wage. Previous research by the union uncovered that 15% of staff in the sector appear to b ..read more

GWUI – FSU has written (HERE) to leading employers in the sector this week to request they pay the Living Wage to all staff, agency workers and contractors. Readers will know that we have been campaigning for the Living Wage of €12.90 per hour to be the wage floor for the games sector here in Ireland. We have engaged with the Government and the Low Pay Commission to link the Living Wage to the proposed Digital Games Tax Credit Statement of Quality Employment (HERE) and we will continue this work. Our research in the sector highlights that between 15-20% of those working in the sector are earni ..read more

GWUI – FSU in Ireland sends our congratulations and support to Raven QA games workers in Wisconsin who voted 19-3 to form a union and be recognised by their employer. This is the first such case in the US in what is now a wave of games organising and unionising across the world.    Reacting to the news, Ellen Cunningham, coordinator of the union here in Ireland today said:   “We at Game Workers Unite Ireland offer our most heartfelt congratulations to the workers at Raven Software. We’re absolutely overjoyed to see the workers winning their landmark union election at a major stu ..read more

Information and knowledge is the first step to improving working conditions in the sector. We know that extensive use of non-disclosure agreements damages transparency and hinders the sharing of information amongst workers. GWUI-FSU are committed to challenging this and to being a source of workers information by and for us, game workers. In 2020 we released our first Report that identifies major issues around pay, unpaid overtime, hours of work, discrimination and a lack of decent working conditions. And now we have launched our second Report which focusses specifically on pay in the sector ..read more

FSU-GWUI has now written to all Political Parties seeking engagement on the potential new tax incentive for the games sector.  We are arguing that any tax incentive for the sector must be linked to quality employment and decent working conditions. It must seek commitments from employers to improve working standards in the sector and address issues that this unions has highlighted highlighted. We have identified to Political Parties that the Digital Games Sector is an important and growing sector within the economy. Ireland has great potential to increase employment in this area over the c ..read more

GWUI-FSU will launch the first ever pay transparency report of pay and remuneration in the games sector in Ireland. Register here to attend the online launch on September 22nd at 7pm. The link to view will be sent on the day to all registered. Reminders will be sent in advance. The author of the Report, Joshua Moody of Maynooth University, will outline the findings on the evening as well as members and union organisers giving their views. We know there are serious issue of pay secrecy in the sector, of unpaid overtime poor pension provision and low pay for certain roles. We are organising as g ..read more

Workers in the games industry have been unionising across Ireland over the last two years. You can freephone our advice centre at ROI 1800 81 91 91 NI 0800 358 0071 Games workers have been vocal about highlighting an industry plagued with dubious practices including unpaid overtime, precarious contracts and unequal wages. Joining GWUI and organising with your colleagues is the first step in collectively tipping the balance of power in the workplace in your favour. Now is the time to become active in the important work of building your union and helping to shape the future of the industry for t ..read more

Tackling low pay, insecure contracts and lack of workers voice must be core FSU-GWUI has written to the Minister for Finance, and other relevant Ministers, seeking engagement on the potential new tax incentive for the games sector. You can read a copy of our letter to the Minister here. 2021-05-05 letter to Minister for FinanceDownload We are saying that any tax incentive for the sector must be linked to quality employment and decent working conditions. It must seek commitments from employers to improve working standards in the sector and address issues that we have highlighted. Our previous r ..read more