220 Rockstar North staff have signed a letter demanding their fired colleagues ‘are immediately reinstated’
The 31 employees have accused the Grand Theft Auto studio of illegally firing them for unionising
More than 200 employees at Rockstar North have delivered a letter to management asking that their fired colleagues be “immediately reinstated”.
Earlier this month, Rockstar dismissed over 30 staff across its offices in the UK and Canada for what it called “gross misconduct” related to what it called the alleged leaking of company secrets in a public forum.
Last week the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) alleged that the employees were fired because they were part of an IWGB Game Workers Union channel on Discord, and were either members of the union or were attempting to organise a union at Rockstar.
Rockstar replied with a statement in which it claimed the “gross misconduct” in question revolved around the sharing of company information in a forum that included non-Rockstar staff.
Earlier this week the IWGB issued a legal claim against Rockstar, claiming the employees were dismissed “in circumstances that we believe amount to victimisation and collective dismissal linked to trade union activity”.
Now the union says 220 current employees at the Edinburgh-based Rockstar North have delivered a letter to senior management, condemning the firing of 31 employees and “demanding the immediate reinstatement of their colleagues”.
One former employee, who the Union is calling Peter to protect their identity, said in a statement: ““It’s heartwarming to see so many of our colleagues supporting us and holding management to account – during a period where Rockstar want us to feel scared, my brave former colleagues are marching straight up to our boss’s door and demanding our voices are heard and not backing down.
“It’s clear to everyone close to this situation that this is a blatant, unapologetic act of vicious union busting. Rockstar employs so many talented game developers, all of whom are crucial to making the games we put out.”
IWGB organiser Fred Carter added: “By deciding to fire more than 30 union members, Rockstar have carried out an Amazon-style act of union-busting unprecedented in the games industry. This is a company that benefits from more than £440 million in UK tax relief, while displaying a callous and blatant disregard for both the livelihood of workers and the letter of the law.”
Rockstar has always insisted that its decision to fire the employees was due to “gross misconduct, and no other reason”, stating: “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. This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities.”
Protests are planned to take place outside Take-Two Interactive‘s London office and its Paris headquarters today, followed by a further protest outside Rockstar North’s main Edinburgh office on Tuesday, November 18.
