Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo

In late 2017 a union called Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo was formed in France.

According to the English version of its website, the STJV seeks to "constitute a friendship, solidarity and defense pact between all workers of the video games industry."

“Up until now, there existed no structure to allow workers of the video games industry to express themselves publicly and collectively. In such a situation, only the point of view of a small fringe of the industry (for example editors or employers) could be heard by society and the government.

Also, associating inside a union facilitates access to help and information, enabling us to defend and improve our working conditions.”
— https://www.stjv.fr/en/

The reference to the loud voice of industry employers likely means the Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo (SNJV). Though the names and acronyms are similar, these bodies are very different.  The SNJV is an organization that brings together the companies or employers in the game industry. Like a trade organization such as the US-based Entertainment Software Association (ESA) or its Canadian counterpart (ESAC) or the British TIGA, the SNJV aimss to work on behalf of game companies to increase their competitiveness and promote the overall growth of the industry. This can be quite different from an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of workers in the industry.

The STJV wishes to be an independent union for the game industry and not an affiliate or subsidiary of existing unions. It is felt that this is the best approach to tackle the specific issues of the game industry. Fair wages and employment security are core concerns.

As such, the union aims to be a big tent for workers in the game industry writ large. In addition to those engaged in game production, the STJV welcomes journalists, streamers, teachers, researchers and others linked to the industry. The union is also inclusive in terms of the definition of employment and encourages workers regardless of their employment contract (e.g., employees, temporary and freelance workers) or their employment status (e.g., students, the unemployed and the retired). 

The union is headquartered in Roubaix, France, but it is actively building a network of representatives across France with the goal of being a national union. It is unclear how many members the union has attracted at this time. Individuals complete an online membership form and are asked to contribute what they can in terms of dues - the suggested amount is 1% of net income.

The STJV gained attention during the Eugen Systems strike as the strikers were STJV members and published their open statements on the STJV news page.

 

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