Rockstar Games Under Fire for Alleged Union Busting in the UK.
The video game giant Rockstar Games has been accused of targeting employees who attempted to unionize, with over 30 staff members being let go from its offices in the UK and Canada. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) claims that these employees were either already part of a union or trying to join one.
IWGB President Alex Marshall has condemned Rockstar's actions as "the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry." He describes the move as an "insult to their fans and the global industry," highlighting that workers who bring in billions for the company are being callously disregarded.
The union argues that several employees who were dismissed had vulnerable situations, including those with visas sponsored by Rockstar and medical conditions that would affect access to essential workplace healthcare schemes. Moreover, all of the laid-off staff members were part of the IWGB Game Workers Union discord channel, suggesting they were targeted for attempting to join a union.
Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has denied any connection between the layoffs and union activity. According to them, the dismissals were solely due to "gross misconduct" with no relation to employee unionization efforts.
This move comes amidst a long-standing conflict between Rockstar Games and employees over its return-to-office policy. The company's decision to push back the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to 2026 has also led some to speculate that the layoffs might be motivated by financial concerns, rather than purely based on misconduct.
The IWGB believes that the layoffs are a deliberate attempt to suppress employee unionization efforts and have called out Rockstar for its actions. The company's response to these allegations will likely continue to be watched closely by industry insiders and labor rights advocates.
The video game giant Rockstar Games has been accused of targeting employees who attempted to unionize, with over 30 staff members being let go from its offices in the UK and Canada. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) claims that these employees were either already part of a union or trying to join one.
IWGB President Alex Marshall has condemned Rockstar's actions as "the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry." He describes the move as an "insult to their fans and the global industry," highlighting that workers who bring in billions for the company are being callously disregarded.
The union argues that several employees who were dismissed had vulnerable situations, including those with visas sponsored by Rockstar and medical conditions that would affect access to essential workplace healthcare schemes. Moreover, all of the laid-off staff members were part of the IWGB Game Workers Union discord channel, suggesting they were targeted for attempting to join a union.
Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has denied any connection between the layoffs and union activity. According to them, the dismissals were solely due to "gross misconduct" with no relation to employee unionization efforts.
This move comes amidst a long-standing conflict between Rockstar Games and employees over its return-to-office policy. The company's decision to push back the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to 2026 has also led some to speculate that the layoffs might be motivated by financial concerns, rather than purely based on misconduct.
The IWGB believes that the layoffs are a deliberate attempt to suppress employee unionization efforts and have called out Rockstar for its actions. The company's response to these allegations will likely continue to be watched closely by industry insiders and labor rights advocates.
sounds like they want to set an example for everyone else.
This is getting serious 
Rockstar Games' actions seem really unfair, especially with the people who got laid off having visas that depend on their job 
. It's like they're being held hostage for trying to join a union 
. The fact that all these people were part of a Discord channel for the union suggests it wasn't just random firings 
. Take-Two Interactive denying any connection is pretty sketchy 
. I'm not surprised, though - corporate interests often take priority over worker rights 
.
It's like they're trying to silence everyone who wants better working conditions and benefits. 
I feel for the laid-off staff, some of whom had pretty rough situations going on... 
I hope the union can keep fighting for them and show Rockstar that their employees won't be pushed around! 
Over 30 staff members let go because they tried to join a union? That's like, corporate greed at its finest 
. Just because they wanted some basic respect and benefits doesn't mean Rockstar has to come after them like vultures 
. It's just another example of big corporations thinking they can do whatever they want without consequences.
... like, they gotta bring in so much cash for the company and y'all just wipe out their jobs? It's not right. I'm with the iwgb on this one - it sounds like rockstar's trying to shut down union efforts which is basically a human rights thing. Can't we all just get along & have some decent working conditions? 
rockstar games is literally taking advantage of their employees in the worst way possible 
it's so shady how they're denying any connection to the layoffs and blaming it on misconduct 
i'm all for workers having their rights, especially when you consider that many of these employees were already part of a union channel 
That's just not right, mate.
. We all know that's not true - we can see it in the way Rockstar has been treating its employees over the past year or so. This is a classic case of corporate bullying, and it needs to stop ASAP 
. Like, what even is the point of making billions if you're just gonna throw out your own employees who are trying to organize? 
. It's not cool that they're targeting people who want to organize 
. If there were really problems with some employees' behavior, wouldn't they have addressed those issues instead of firing people who just wanted to join a union? 
.
. Rockstar did what needed to be done, and that's that 
it's not like they're being forced to unionize or anything, they're just trying to organize and have some basic protections. btw, the fact that they're denying any connection between the layoffs and union activity is pretty suspicious 
rockstar games is making headlines not for their awesome games but for being a total mean boss 
and the part where it says some of them were already part of the union or trying to join one... like, what even is the point of having a union if you're gonna fire ppl who are already in one 
and it's not fair to the fans who get to play their games and enjoy the company's success 