Eugen Systems striking devs going to labour court Employees initiating proceedings against Steel Division: Normandy 44 studio after six weeks with no progress in negotiations

Brendan Sinclair North American Editor Monday 2nd April 2018 Share this article Share

Companies in this article Eugen Systems

A group of Eugen Systems developers have been on strike for six weeks, and it doesn't appear as if an agreement for them to return to work is going to happen anytime soon.

In an update posted to the site of French developer union Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo, the striking Eugen workers report that the Steel Division: Normandy 44 studio's management admitted it is unwilling to negotiate anything regarding their alleged circumvention of minimum wage laws, neglecting to compensate developers for overtime, and refusal to recognize contractual obligations.

"Since neither negotiation nor strike seems to be affecting our employers and that compliance with the law seems to be an exaggerated demand from their point of view, we consider that it is time to harden our methods," the statement reads.

To that end, "about 15" current and former Eugen employees have initiated proceedings against the developer in French labour court. However, those proceedings will only cover some of the issues the group has raised.

Eugen posted a statement denying or downplaying the employees' allegations when the strike began, but representatives with the company have not yet returned further request for comment. Meanwhile, Eugen Systems has posted three job openings on its website--two for permanent positions and one for an internship--since the strike began.