Workers at wargaming miniature paint giant Acrylicos Vallejo strike

Nearly all of the 74 workers at Acrylicos Vallejo have gone on an indefinite strike. The popular Spanish paint company — which produces their Game Color and Model Color lines most popularly used in miniature painting and wargaming — first announced a partial strike in late November, but escalated earlier this week when they claimed Acrylicos Vallejo’s ownership would not negotiate with workers. According to a statement made on Bluesky by Catalonian labor organization CGT, the demands of the striking employees are threefold: a wage increase, an improvement of safety conditions, and protocols to handle workplace harassment.

Incorporated in New Jersey in 1965, Acrylicos Vallejo moved to Barcelona, quickly becoming a major player in the European art scene for their vibrant and extensive color range before establishing themselves as a staple in the world of wargaming and miniatures. It currently distributes paints to over 55 countries across the globe. Following a trend of private capital consolidation, private equity firm Proa Capital purchased a majority stake in Acrylicos Vallejo for just under $53 million in December 2023. The worker’s strike comes in a parallel wave of global labor actions in nearly every sector including entertainment and gaming, most demanding higher wages and more protections in their respective industries.

According to a statement by the CGT given to YouTuber Hellstorm Wargaming, workers at the Catalonian factory currently make around the Spanish minimum wage. Earlier this year, the Spanish Council of ministers raised the country’s minimum wage to €37.8 (just under $40) a day, or just over €1,134 ($1,200) a month — a roughly 50% increase from Spain’s minimum wage in 2018. Representatives from the CGT claim executive pay continues to grow with increased profits as employee wages stay stagnant.

Workers are also calling for an improvement of safety conditions in the factory, which they allege to be in a “deplorable state.” In their statement they claim “Some parts of the ceiling have fallen, luckily without injuring anyone. There are outdated machines with no maintenance. To give you an idea, some machines had to be repaired by putting in brackets to keep them together.”

Their final demand relates to workplace harassment, which they claim the company has no protocols to handle. “There are executives in the company who are professionals in workplace harassment, and have dedicated themselves to harassing and making workers’ lives impossible,” the CGT spokesperson alleged.

Striking workers have not explicitly called for a boycott of Acrylicos Vallejo, but said “if you are considering not buying any more products until the strike is over, it will be a good way to put pressure on the company.” Many of the public responses to their strike announcement on social media have stated a refusal to purchase the company’s products until the demands are met.

Acrylicos Vallejo has not made a public statement regarding the strike. Polygon did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment, and will update this article if one is provided.