Activision Accused of Unjustly Firing Workers; Company Defends Itself
Activision has its faults, as evidenced by another lawsuit filed by the CWA. The association noted some irregularities allegedly committed by Activision when firing two of its employees.
Activision is on the headlines again, though this time for a different reason than the Microsoft's disputes with officials. The CWA, the largest labor union in the United States, has filed a complaint singling out irregularities that allegedly occurred in a disciplinary meeting concerning the dismissal of two of the publisher's employees.
Activision under fire
The announcement was made on Twitter, and details of the meeting can be found in the text published by Kotaku. It turns out that the subject of the conflict between employees and supervisors was the return to the office after months of remote work (following the COVID outbreak).
"Many employees protested the plan [to return to the office - ed. note], citing the cost of living and potentially forcing some co-workers to leave their jobs. Two QA testers expressed their outrage, using strong language. In response, management held disciplinary meetings at which both employees were fired," CWA's announcement reads
The dismissals took place on February 17, 2023, and the reason for the decision was the former testers' use of vulgar language aimed at the company's management. As CWA explains, such a case is not legally grounded. In the U.S., a paragraph protecting employers from the use of abusive words and outbursts of anger toward them was relaxed in 2020 due to a desire not to restrict free speech.
“We don’t allow employees to use profane or abusive language against each other. We’re disappointed the CWA advocates this type of behavior,” said Joseph Christinat, spokesman for Activision
Activision employees will return to work at the office on April 10, this year (via: Kotaku). However, it will be possible to work in hybrid mode, involving 3 days in the office and remote work on the remaining days of the week.
That's not all, however
Adding fuel to the fire is another irregularity allegedly committed by Activision, according to the CWA. One of the two former employees demanded a witness at a disciplinary interview (preceding his dismissal), but Activision denied his request.
A past strewn with lawsuits
Activision has long struggled with allegations of mistreatment of employees. In 2021 it was accused of mobbing and sexual harassment. Last April, we could read about unfair system of raises that bypassed "quarrelsome" employees, and a month later information came to light about the use of threats by managers toward subordinates. The accusation issued by the CWA will definitely not help to get rid of the controversial image.
