Italian video game workers fight back against layoffs

Italian video game workers are taking action in the wake of layoffs at Keywords Studios, a leading provider of technical and service support for the video game industry. The company announced the termination of 31 workers’ jobs, which accounted for approximately 20 per cent of its workforce in Italy. Keywords is shifting work to Poland and plans to automate certain processes through AI.  

The workers in Cinisello Balsamo (Milan) and Rome, represented by FILCAMS-CGIL, FISASCAT-CISL and UILTuCS, have declared “a state of unrest,” marking the beginning of a series of collective actions. The consultation with the unions has been ongoing since June 22, and on July 27, the unions announced an overtime ban and a two-day strike, dates yet to be determined. 

The unions are demanding “the company to reconsider its decision to reduce personnel and to be open to seeking alternative solutions aimed at safeguarding employment levels, urging it to adopt a greater sense of corporate social responsibility that places the individual at the centre of its actions and work process planning.” 

This move by Keywords Studios is part of a broader trend affecting their operations in multiple countries, including Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Japan and Spain.  

“The unions in Italy are setting an example for workers around the world. Their push back against layoffs highlights the growing determination of video game workers to organize and defend their rights in the face of corporate restructuring and job insecurity,” said Benjamin Parton, Head of UNI Global Union’s ICTS sector. “The video game industry is traditionally not a union industry, but these actions show why that is changing.” 

Parton underscores that Keywords workers’ fight in Italy fight is emblematic of a broader resistance against precarious employment conditions and the unchecked power of multinational corporations in the tech and gaming industries. The world will be watching as these workers stand up, organized and united, challenging the status quo in an industry at a crossroads.