Tackling low pay, insecure contracts and lack of workers voice must be core

FSU-GWUI has written to the Minister for Finance, and other relevant Ministers, seeking engagement on the potential new tax incentive for the games sector. You can read a copy of our letter to the Minister here.

We are saying that any tax incentive for the sector must be linked to quality employment and decent working conditions. It must seek commitments from employers to improve working standards in the sector and address issues that we have highlighted.

Our previous research has identified the following issues in the sector:

• 64% of respondents have experienced low pay in the games sector in Ireland and 17% of respondents have experienced missed payments, while 45% note working unpaid overtime
• 55.5% of respondents have been required to work crunch time (overtime, often unpaid, towards the end of a project/deadline or near game release) in their jobs.
• 62% of survey respondents do not have secure employment contracts, while 43% of respondents note experiencing frequent job instability, including through lay-offs and impermanent contract status.
• 12% have experienced harassment and/or intimidation based on their gender, ethnicity, age, or sexuality. Furthermore, experiences of discrimination came in the form of interpersonal relations (20%), working conditions (10%), workloads (8.5%), pay and bonuses (8.5%) and more.

A similar tax regime for the film sector is linked to a statement that must be signed by employers committing employers to ‘quality employment’. Such a statement for the games sector must commit to legal obligations but also, specifically, to the living wage as a floor for the sector, creation of permanent jobs/contracts and to the WRC’s Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect.

Workers in the sector are entitled to have their collective voice heard in these discussions on this new tax incentive. If you want to get involved in improving conditions in your sector then join us and be part of the campaign.