Swedish trade unions Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer have issued a strike notice against King after executives rejected a proposed collective bargaining agreement last month.
Unionen submitted the strike notice on September 15, and mediation is ongoing. If no agreement is reached, King employees will strike on September 25.
Naturvetarna, DIK, and Akademikerförbundet SSR have also announced their intention to strike in solidarity with Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer.
A Unionen representative told Game File that its members at King seek “a collective agreement that gives them greater influence over workplace terms and conditions” as well as job security.
“A collective agreement is about more than pay. It covers pensions, insurance, working hours and the ability to influence conditions at work,” Unionen wrote in a separate post. “It is a cornerstone of security in the Swedish labour market.”
GamesIndustry.biz has contacted Unionen for comment, and we will update this story if we receive a reply.
In response, King chief operating officer Ulrika Höjgård said: “King offers fair and competitive employment terms, and we are confident that our benefits and conditions are in line with, or exceed, what would be provided under a Collective Bargaining Agreement.”
“We have also established a constructive dialogue with our local union representatives, and while we have decided not to enter into a CBA, we remain committed to continuing this respectful and transparent dialogue on important employee matters.”
In an email to employees in June, King president Todd Green said the decision to reject the CBA “was not made lightly.”
As Kotaku reports, Green said King’s “current benefits offering is better for our employees”, including enhanced pension, long-term sick pay, private healthcare, and parental leave. “Whilst entering into a CBA doesn’t prevent us [from] continuing [to] offer the same benefits, it will require us to change the structure of the benefits we offer, which we believe would be negative to employees in Sweden.”
Green added that the “current operating model is the right fit for King, including our operations in Sweden, at this time” and that by “[e]ntering into a CBA would require significant changes to how we operate in Sweden, including our processes, policies, and ways of working.”
“[The decision] does not reflect any lack of respect for trade unions or for the Swedish labour model. We will continue to work with the trade union club in an open, respectful and constructive way, and we will continue to consult with trade unions where required.”