In light of Rockstar Games’ recent firing of between 30 and 40 of its employees, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has announced that it has arranged for a protest to take place outside of parent company Take-Two Interactive’s London office. The union announced the protest through a video released on social media, where it called out Rockstar for having “betrayed” its employees by engaging in union busting.
“Rockstar, makers of GTA, have crossed the red line,” wrote the company on social media. “They’ve fired over 30 members of staff, all IWGB Union members, in a blatant act of union busting. They’ve done this for no other reason but to try to terrify and silence staff. Not only is this illegal, but this is also a complete attack on workers’ rights and people’s well-being.”
“Instead of focusing on the development of the much-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar has chosen to take on the role of their classic game villains by breaking labor laws and firing hard-working staff making the game, betraying both workers and fans alike.”
This protest comes in the wake of a Rockstar Games spokesperson releasing a statement where it said that the employees were fired because of a violation of company policy and distributing and discussing confidential information on a public forum. The statement also denied that it was an attempt by Rockstar at union-busting.
“Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies,” said the spokesperson. “This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities.”
When reports of the firing of the employees first came to light earlier this month, Take-Two Interactive spokesperson Alan Lewis had said that the employees were responsible for “gross misconduct,” and that the firings took place “for no other reason.” He went on to note that “we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach.”
The firings had also led to the IWGB calling Rockstar out for “one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting” in the video game industry, especially since the “gross misconduct” that the company was accusing the fired employees of involved the employees being in communication with union representatives.
“Rockstar has just carried out one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry,” said IWGB president Alex Marshall. “This flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry.”
He had gone on to note that Rockstar Games was “afraid of hard-working staff privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer workplace and a collective voice. Management are showing they don’t care about delays to GTA 6, and that they’re prioritizing union-busting by targeting the very people who make the game.”
