A labor conflict has erupted in the South Korean division of Unity Technologies: the local union held a protest action on April 16, accusing the management of using "unfair methods" to force employees to resign.
According to press reports, amid large-scale layoffs at Unity headquarters, the headcount of Unity Technologies Korea has decreased from 230 to 120 people. At the same time, the union claims that due to South Korea's strict labor laws, the company cannot conduct mass layoffs directly—unlike the practice common in the USA.
Instead, as employee representatives state, the management is allegedly using workaround schemes. In particular, employees are placed on "standby" status (effectively suspended from work) and then registered as being on leave with a salary reduction to 70%. According to the union, such practices began at the end of last year and affected, among others, workers hired less than six months prior.
The union believes that such a scheme allows the company to bypass layoff restrictions, as the long-term absence of work tasks leads to a loss of professional skills and the creation of a "career gap," effectively forcing employees to resign of their own free will.
Unity Technologies Korea itself rejects the accusations and states that all personnel decisions are made in strict accordance with the country's current labor legislation.