Category: Blog

GWUI has written to the Low Pay Commission recommending that the statutory minimum wage becomes the living wage of €12.90 for all workers.

Information and knowledge is the first step to improving working conditions in the sector. We know that extensive use of non-disclosure agreements damages transparency and hinders the sharing of information amongst workers. GWUI-FSU are committed to challenging this and to being a source of workers information by and for us, game workers.

In 2020 we released our first Report that identifies major issues around pay, unpaid overtime, hours of work, discrimination and a lack of decent working conditions. And now we have launched our second Report which focusses specifically on pay in the sector.

This report is the first ever Pay Transparency Report into the game sector. This is a unique set of information as it is ours, the workers. We designed it, responded to it and produced it. We will now build on this data set each year so that you are armed with more information and transparency around pay so that together we can improve pay and pay fairness in the sector.

Our report makes a number of important findings. Many workers in the sector our earning below the Living Wage (€12.30 per hour) often working in support, admin, service and testing functions where there is a higher percentage of women workers. We believe the Gender Pay Gap in our sector would be frightening if it was produced.

Pay (pay ranges and pay increases) are highly private, confidential and individualised. Simply put, no one knows what the pay ranges are by roles or grade and what increases companies are paying. Are they fair? Are they equal? This secrecy and silence gives employers all the power and can lead to widespread discrimination and inequality as well as workers earning less than they should.

Unpaid overtime is still endemic in the sector. Despite a lot of talk of wellbeing and work-life balance by employers crunch and exploitation still happens. Frighteningly the report also highlights how employers are abandoning and absconding from their responsibility to our futures. Pensions are deferred wages. They are wages that you earn from your employer now but that are paid when you retire so that you can live in decent conditions in your retirement. Unions fought and won pension rights over decades of struggle. A massive 78% in the survey said their employer is not paying any pension contributions. This is a scandal which we will address together.

By the end of this year we will publish to members a pay range fact sheet based on this survey. We will also re-release the survey so that we continue to build the data set for you. Finally, we are pushing for decent working conditions, including the Living Wage, to be linked to the Digital Games Tax Incentive that the Government is planning. We have written to every political party and have met a number.

Lets continue to build and grow GWUI-FSU, your voice at work.

Join us.

FSU-GWUI has now written to all Political Parties seeking engagement on the potential new tax incentive for the games sector. 

We are arguing 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 this unions has highlighted highlighted.

We have identified to Political Parties that the Digital Games Sector is an important and growing sector within the economy. Ireland has great potential to increase employment in this area over the coming years, and we have a real opportunity to ensure that the jobs in the sector are quality jobs with decent conditions. It is important that the sector retains talent here and is attractive as a career in Ireland. One practical measure that the Budget could take is to link any tax incentive to a commitment to quality employment and decent working conditions.

More specifically we have asked that parties include in their Budget proposals that the provision of a new Digital Games Tax Credit is linked to the following:

• Eliminating low pay in the sector through a Living Wage floor;
• Provision of secure contracts of direct employment;
• Giving proper pension provision to employees;
• Guaranteeing staffs’ right to disconnect and paid overtime;
• Commitment to implement all WRC Codes of Practice;
• Supporting employer engagement with Trade Unions.

To hear more about this and the need for greater pay transparency in the sector Register here to attend the online launch of our Pay Transparency Report on September 22nd at 7pm. The link to view will be sent on the day to all registered. Reminders will be sent in advance. The author of the Report, Joshua Moody of Maynooth University, will outline the findings on the evening as well as members and union organisers giving their views.

Workers in the games industry have been unionising across Ireland over the last two years. You can freephone our advice centre at ROI 1800 81 91 91 NI 0800 358 0071

Games workers have been vocal about highlighting an industry plagued with dubious practices including unpaid overtime, precarious contracts and unequal wages. Joining GWUI and organising with your colleagues is the first step in collectively tipping the balance of power in the workplace in your favour. Now is the time to become active in the important work of building your union and helping to shape the future of the industry for the better fairer workplaces.

You may be curious to know more about your employment rights. We, your union, are here to help with answering your questions or queries. If you are unsure about something your employer has implemented or if you are in a dispute or generally want to know how to best proceed with a complaint, let us know and we can help. Maybe you just want information on better practices or someone to run something by.

GWUI’s Advice Centre are staffed by a dedicated team who are ready to provide members with a first-class information and advice service that supports you in your workplace. Our aim is to protect the rights and interests of our members, to listen to your employment related queries, to be an important source of information, and to support you in your workplace.

We have experience helping our members with workplace issues such as bullying/victimisation, maternity/paternity rights, disciplinary/grievance procedure, health & safety, monitoring and surveillance, performance management, pay and a lot more.

If you have a question or are unsure of your rights, if you need support or representation, freephone ROI 1800 81 91 91 NI 0800 358 0071 or email us at advice@fsunion.org              

It is imperative that your voice is strong as ultimately it is the membership who make the Union strong. Please share the following link https://www.fsunion.org/join/gwuireland to anyone who might be interested in joining with us or give us a call. We are here to support you.

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.  

GWU Ireland’s member organiser addresses common concerns that workers have before joining their union and outlines practical steps you can take to protect yourself in the early stages of union organising.

GWU Ireland has put together a simple explainer, outlining what your basic rights & legal entitlements are if you are temporarily laid off, become unwell, have to self-isolate, or have caring responsibilities.

GWU Ireland has put together a simple explainer, outlining what your basic rights & legal entitlements are if you are temporarily laid off, become unwell, have to self-isolate, or have caring responsibilities.