Following the recent filing of a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board, Nintendo denied all accusations of labor law violations.
Following the recent report against Nintendo for labor law violations, the gaming giant responded by denying all allegations.
In a statement to GameSpot, Nintendo denied the charges. “We are aware of the claim, which was filed with the National Relations Board by a contractor who was previously terminated for the disclosure of confidential information and for no other reason,” Nintendo stated, “Nintendo is not aware of any attempts to unionize or related activity and intends to cooperate with the investigation conducted by the NLRB. Nintendo is fully committed to providing a welcoming and supporting work environment for all our employees and contractors. We take matters of employment very seriously.”
The statement follows recent news that a Nintendo employee filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the company and recruitment firm Aston Carter. The case, filed on April 15 and viewable on the NLRB’s website, alleged that “the Employer discharged an employee(s) because the employee(s) joined or supported a labor organization and in order to discourage union activities and/or membership.”
Additionally, the filing said Nintendo fired the employee for discussing terms of employment, such as wages, and even “interfered with, restrained, and coerced its employees” through unlawful surveillance, harmful disciplinary action and used “threats” and “promised benefits” to keep workers silent. Because the complaint was filed against both companies, it remains unclear which company is responsible for each violation.
Nintendo is far from the only gaming company currently under fire for alleged labor abuse. The case comes amid intense scrutiny of those in the industry, most notably Activision Blizzard. In July of last year, the DFEH filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for numerous sexual harassment and discrimination cases. A two-year investigation by the DFEH found that multiple female employees at all employment levels had been consistently subjected to discrimination based on their sex. Discriminatory practices included fewer opportunity levels, unequal pay, unfair termination and disproportionate promotion. According to the suit, unequal pay started at the moment of hire.
Activision Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime stated he was “ashamed” by his failure to “protect” people of all genders during his 28-year tenure. The company’s president, J. Allen Brack, stepped down in August of last year and claimed it was only to “pursue new opportunities.” Besides those cases from the EEOC and the DFEH, an anonymous employee at Activision Blizzard filed a separate lawsuit last month for similar allegations against the company.
Source: GameSpot
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