Striking Eugen Systems Devs Are Taking the Company to Court

A number of current and former Eugen Systems development employees have been on strike for six weeks, with no end in sight. That might soon change, as a group of “about 15” of the striking employees have initiated proceedings against the company in French labor court.

The group has been attempting to negotiate with Eugen Systems officials to address allegations that the French developer circumvented minimum wage laws, refused to provide overtime pay and ignored contractual obligations to their employees. During the extent of the strike, Eugen Systems has remained strong in their stance against their employees’ complaints, refusing to engage in negotiations in any form. The company has not commented publicly outside of their initial denial—they even posted three new job listings, one internship and two permanent positions, since the beginning of the strike.

An update posted last week to French game developer union Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo’s website outlined how Eugen Systems has been uncooperative and unresponsive to the group’s claims, hinting at a more severe course of action. “Since neither negotiation nor strike seems to be effecting 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 out methods,” reads the statement.

One of those harden methods appears to be getting their employer in front of a judge, forcing them to speak up about the allegations levied by the striking employees. A long battle still lies ahead, but even the news that it is moving to a legal setting is not a full-on panacea. Only a portion of the allegations against Eugen Systems will be covered through the court.