The unions of communication workers in the United States and Canada are convinced that the recent layoffs in Microsoft's gaming division were conducted with numerous violations. They have filed a complaint against the corporation with labor inspections in both countries.
According to activists, Microsoft was supposed to reach out to unions in subsidiary studios and hold discussions before the layoffs in Xbox, but it did not do so. Instead, the corporation allegedly decided to act coercively and unilaterally terminated contracts with employees.
Representatives of Microsoft stated in media comments that negotiations with the unions are indeed actively ongoing.
“We respect our employees' right to express their opinions and understand this is a difficult time for many. We have reached out to unions with a proposal to discuss the impact of the restructuring and intend to see this process through,” clarified Microsoft.
It should be noted that earlier, several former Xbox employees also complained about the chaos during the layoffs in interviews with Game Developer. They reported that although the media learned about the reductions several weeks before they began, Microsoft remained silent until the last moment. When the official announcement was made, those being laid off were invited to very brief calls—some meetings lasted less than a minute, with employee microphones and chat deliberately disabled. It is claimed that many workers could not join the calls and were ultimately forced to gather the necessary information through indirect means.
As part of the restructuring of Xbox, Microsoft intends to part ways with 3,200 employees: half of them were laid off now, and the other half will be dismissed over the course of the year.