In recent years, publishers or development studios have been regularly singled out for not respecting the working conditions of their employees. And this sometimes goes as far as complaints of harassment or assault. And if until now Nintendo seemed outside the scourge, this is no longer the case for its American subsidiary.
Image credit: Nintendo
It’s a little complicated
Nintendo has so far been relatively unaffected by complaints about it, with the publisher more used to attacking first. However, an employee filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against Nintendo. The NLRB is an agency of the US federal government that investigates, among other things, illegal practices in the labor market.
The complaint, filed by an employee who remains anonymous in the document, is against Nintendo of America and Aston Carter. The latter is a recruitment company that has worked for several years with Nintendo. In particular, we can read in the document that the two companies are accused of:
- 8(a)(1) Concerted activities (retaliation, termination, discipline)
- 8(a)(1) Coercive statements (threats, promises of benefits, etc.)
- 8(a)(3) Termination (including layoff and refusal to hire)
- 8(a)(1) Enforcement actions (monitoring, etc.)
What the two companies would be accused of is having prevented their employee from uniting with other employees and having dismissed him as a result, which is an important legal right in the labor market. However, we must remain vigilant, because the entire document is not public and the details of the complaint are therefore not known.
Since the complaint first surfaced, Nintendo came out of its silence with a statement. Initially stating that the employee in question is “a claimant who was fired for disclosing confidential information and for no other reason”. And that they are not aware of any attempted union or other activities and will cooperate with the NLRB’s investigation.
We are aware of the request, which has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board by a claimant who has already been fired for disclosing confidential information and for no other reason. Nintendo is not aware of any attempted unionization or related activity and intends to cooperate with the NLRB’s investigation.
Nintendo is committed to providing a welcoming and positive work environment for all of its employees and contractors. We take employment issues very seriously.
Nintendo of America seems in any case inclined to collaborate, especially since the accusations are very serious. The situation has in any case loosened the tongues on Twitter, since several former employees of the firm testify to their feelings about the situation. There is for example the user Boyks:
Working for nintendo (3+ year contract) was one of the most stressful and horrible experiences of my life. The co-workers were great, but I was constantly under pressure to be fired for little things like going to the bathroom or being stuck in traffic.
The thread has other testimonials going into this sens, although some also complain about recruitment companies working for Nintendo. With in particular promises of full-time contracts, while companies would do everything to maintain the status of their employees as service providers.
It will therefore be necessary to wait for the next few weeks before perhaps having other information. Although it should once again be clarified that this is a complaint from a former employee and that for the moment all the details have not been disclosed.
READ ALSO: California Governor Charged With Interfering In Lawsuit Against Activision Blizzard
–
