CWA union slams Microsoft layoffs as “extremely disappointing”

The Communications Workers of America union (CWA) has denounced Microsoft’s decision to lay off an additional 650 video game workers yesterday as “extremely disappointing”.

In a statement, the CWA said that as one of the world’s “largest and most profitable corporations”, Microsoft could have achieved its goals for “long-term success without destroying the livelihoods of 650 of our colleagues”.

Whilst the union acknowledges that organising does not “always protect against layoffs”, “collective bargaining does give workers a voice in the policies that affect them, including how layoffs are handled”.

The statement then blasted former Sony boss Chris Deering’s “callous suggestion” that layoffs are not the result of corporate greed and those affected by industry cuts should “drive an Uber”.

“Every worker deserves a voice on the job and a say over the impact of job cuts,” said Samuel Cooper, senior producer at World of Warcraft and member of WoWGG-CWA.

“While we would hope that a company like Microsoft with $88 billion in profits last year could achieve ‘long term success’ without destroying the livelihoods of 650 of our colleagues, heartless layoffs like these have become all too common. We stand in solidarity with everyone who lost their job [yesterday] and encourage all video game workers to join with us and form unions so we can protect each other.”

Microsoft laid off a further 650 Xbox staff yesterday, though no games have been cancelled or studios have been closed this time.

The news was shared by CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer in an internal memo in which Spencer said the cuts were necessary to “organise our business for long term success”. The layoffs follow the 1900 people who lost their jobs at the company in January this year. It means Microsoft has now laid off 2,550 staff in the last year alone.

For those keeping track, with one quarter still to go, 2024 has seen almost 13,000 developers and publishers lose their jobs.