We met comrades from the Montpellier Video Game Workers Union. This is
an opportunity to get to know this union better which is developing inwhat was until now a union desert where precariousness is the rule.Enough to inspire widely! ---- We met comrades from the MontpellierVideo Game Workers Union. This is an opportunity to get to know thisunion better which is developing in what was until now a union desertwhere precariousness is the rule. Enough to inspire widely! ---- Can youexplain to us why and in what working context the STJV was born?In practice, the industry was empty of unions in 2016. We felt duringthe Labor Law and Macron's arrival in power that it was necessary toorganize to resist neoliberal policies, and the election of StaffDelegates in Parisian studios made us want to discuss our problems.This, in addition to personal networks, formed the basis of the STJV.Your emergence is reminiscent of the birth of trade unionism, did youhave these references?Yes. These references were already present before the creation of theSTJV, to varying degrees. We had the intuition that the form of theunion remained relevant to fight against capitalism. We were very busydefining who we were, who would make up the union and who it woulddefend, because this is the preliminary basis for collective action. Inthis case it was a question of reformulating, for our environment, theopposition between proletariat and bourgeoisie.These are old questions and, in a certain way and on our scale, we arefollowing in the footsteps of the CGT at the beginning of the 20thcentury. From a union desert, it was crucial to create classconsciousness, which involves two points:- that workers directly experience their political power, by being theunion and carrying out its action: self-management- demonstration of the union's interest in improving current livingconditions, to achieve long-term objectives: double duty.We were inspired by this anarcho-syndicalism because it is the logicalform of syndicalism, while adapting it to our time and our industry.Your strong mobilization against pension reform proves that you are nota corporatist union. So why not join an existing, inter-professional union?This is a question that we have studied for a long time during creation.We found out about the confederations to which we felt closestpolitically: the CGT, Solidaires and the CNT.Joining one would have been to the detriment of the positioning andstrategy of the STJV: - By its working conditions, production methodsand particular professions, we claim video games as an environmentdistinct enough to have its own union, not attached to the IT or cinemafor example. The confederations which are based on the legal brancheswould not have let us have our independence.- Video games were immersed in a very start-up, neoliberal atmosphere,where unionism was frowned upon. Having the label of an existingconfederation was a significant obstacle to unionization in the sector.We wanted to keep the advantage of being able to approach our colleaguesby saying: "we are a union, by and for people who work in video games,like you". We are not stopping ourselves from joining one in the future,but for the moment it is not an issue on the agenda.What is your development, are you succeeding in waging battles in yourlocations?Today, the STJV has several hundred comrades throughout France and weare only growing. We are present virtually in all development studiosand publishers. We have around fifteen union sections and, with all theCSE elections taking place this year, we are starting to accumulateunion delegates. It is much more normalized to talk about unionism nowthan six years ago, even if there is still work to be done.We claim and communicate little about our struggles because they mainlyconcern personal situations (harassment, dismissal, burnout, etc.) andwe respect the fears and anonymity of the victims. In video games we donot yet have enough culture of collective struggle to implement strikes.It is fundamental work to build it, with a balance of power in ourfavor. We must be irreproachable, it will happen little by little.Public strikes are rare: Eugen Systems in 2018 and, a sign that thingsare changing, Kylotonn in July 2023 as well as the national strike atUbisoft in January 2023, the world's largest employer in video games,which, just three years ago, was considered the best in "work of passion".What general assessment and for your union do you draw from the pensionbattle?For the moment it is difficult to say at the national level, but thisstruggle will surely push for restructuring and questioning. In terms ofvideo games, this is an important and positive step in unionization,which makes it possible to lay new foundations for collective struggle,to experiment and create interprofessional links. It got people talkinga lot and brought politics back to work. We have experienced asignificant increase in membership and investment from our comrades.In Montpellier we saw you at every demonstration, where you made a jointprocession with the UCL and the CNT, in Lyon I believe the STJV marchedwith the CNT. In May 2022, you participated in the "On the job!"meetings.» self-managing and libertarian trade unionists. Whatconnection does your union have with libertarians?For obvious reasons we are quite close to libertarian organizations andwe cooperate in several cities with (among others) the CNT, the CNT-SOand the UCL. This is especially important since our independencerequires constant efforts not to withdraw into ourselves. Although theSTJV wears the colors red and black, we do not officially claim to belibertarian or anarcho-syndicalist. We think it is important for theunion to make people adhere to a political line through practice, ratherthan imposing it on its members, to become a "mass" union. There are notonly libertarians among our members, our goal is to get people who sharecommon interests working together. We start from fundamental principles:self-management, direct democracy, refusal of permanent staff andrepresentatives, imperative mandates... and we apply them withoutputting a label on them. So far, it's working for us and it'sappreciated by our comrades.Comments collected by Gil (UCL Montpellier)https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?51-STJV-C-est-important-que-le-syndicat-fasse-adherer-a-une-ligne-politique-par_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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