136 jobs to go at Cork-based games developer

TÁNAISTE Micheál Martin has said that 136 of 198 people employed at the Cork headquarters of a gaming company recently acquired by Microsoft are to be made redundant.

It was reported last month that Microsoft was cutting 1,900 jobs in its gaming division, including within its Xbox team. The cuts will primarily impact recently acquired games developer Activision Blizzard, which has offices in Cork and Dublin, but some Xbox staff at Microsoft-owned games publisher ZeniMax will also be affected.

Mick Barry, a People Before Profit-Solidarity TD, raised the issue in the Dáil, saying to the Tánaiste: “More than 100 workers at Activation Blizzard, in Blackpool, face redundancy within the next couple of weeks.”

Mr Barry said: “Their company was purchased late last year by Microsoft for $75bn, the largest video-game acquisition transaction in history.

“Microsoft is arguably the largest company in the world, with gross annual profits last year of €146bn, and they plan to gut nearly 2,000 Blizzard jobs worldwide.”

The Cork North Central representative added: “Blackpool workers have many issues they would like to discuss with the company: These include a reduction in the number of job losses, a fair redundancy package, and making any, and all, redundancies voluntary. But the company refuse to talk to their trade union, Game Workers Unite Ireland, which is part of the Financial Services Union.”

“How can the Government defend the situation where a huge American corporation can buy up a company with a base in Ireland, announce life-changing changes for its workforce, and refuse to talk to the union chosen by longstanding workers in that company to represent them?”

The Tánaiste said: “Our thoughts are with the workers, that’s our foremost concern”, and he said that the Government would help them with training and development opportunities and income supports.

“One-hundred-and-ninety-eight people are employed, and the number of redundancies is expected to be 136, which is very serious for those people and their families,” he said.

“Microsoft is a very large organisation in Ireland, so, hopefully, there might be opportunities for re-employment, but we also have to do everything we can to seek alternative employment for the workers.

“I have no doubt that the minister will work with the company to ensure that their rights, as enshrined in legislation, are followed through.”