Microsoft "will not stand in the way" if employees of Activision Blizzard form a union. Unionisation efforts have been ongoing at the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft publisher for months, but proponents of a union at the company have been uncertain of how Microsoft would treat organisation efforts if its planned buyout of Activision Blizzard goes through.
In a message to Microsoft, provided to Axios and intended to run in a local newspaper ad this weekend, Raven's QA staff says "we recently learned that as part of their proposed merger, Activision Blizzard must seek Microsoft's approval to voluntarily recognise or into a collective bargaining agreement with us as a union". The letter goes on to ask Microsoft to encourage Activision Blizzard to recognize the union.
"Microsoft will not stand in the way if Activision Blizzard recognizes a union," a company representative tells Axios in a statement. "Microsoft respects Activision Blizzard employees' right to choose whether to be represented by a labour organisation and we will honour those decisions".
RELATED LINKS:
Judge approves Activision Blizzard's first lawsuit settlement
2023 will reportedly be the first year without a new Call of Duty since 2004
The Activision Blizzard lawsuit and its aftermath explained