To
William D'Angelo
published 1 day ago / 2637 views
Rockstar North's 220 employees have signed the letter requiring the company to immediately reinstate 31 employees who were fired last week.
Employees, all members The IWGB Union believe they were fired illegally for being union members. The union describes it as “the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the gaming industry.”
“By choosing to fire more than 30 union members, Rockstar has committed an Amazon-style act of union busting unprecedented in the gaming industry,” said IWGB organizer Fred Carter. “This is a company that has received over £440 million in UK tax breaks while showing a callous and blatant disregard for both workers’ livelihoods and the letter of the law.”
One employee fired by Rockstar last week, who remains anonymous, said: “It's great to see so many of our colleagues supporting us and holding management accountable – at a time when Rockstar wants us to be afraid, my brave former colleagues are marching straight to our boss's door and demanding that our voices be heard and not back down.
“It is clear to everyone closely familiar with this situation that this is a blatant and unapologetic act of vicious union busting. Rockstar has so many talented game developers, each of whom is critical to the creation of the games we release.”
Read the letter below:
Rockstar North staff, developers Grand Theft Auto game series, have provided senior management with a letter signed by more than 200 employees condemning the firing of 31 employees last week, which is considered an act of union busting. In the letter, the employees are demanding the immediate reinstatement of their colleagues, all of whom were members of the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) in the UK.
Last week, supporters protested in London outside Take-Two House, Rockstar's holding company, in solidarity with fired employees. A protest also took place outside the company's offices on Holyrood Road in Edinburgh, where former and current employees united to demand reinstatement, the culmination of a week of gatherings outside the company's offices.
Rockstar said in a public statement that 31 employees were fired for leaking information to public channels, which the IWGB denied, saying workers only communicated through private and legally protected union channels. The IWGB has now filed formal legal action against Rockstar, claiming that it will pursue every avenue to ensure that members are reinstated and temporary relief is provided.
Further protests are planned for this Friday 7 November, starting with a rally at 8am outside Take Two's London offices, followed by a protest at 4pm (CET) outside the company's headquarters in Paris, where members of the STJV (Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Video) will show their support for the laid-off workers. There will be another protest outside Holyrood on Tuesday 18 November at 6pm to coincide with a meeting of the cross-party parliamentary group on the Scottish gaming industry.
Eternal and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced by VGChartz in 2007. After several years of supporting the site, he was hired as a junior analyst in 2010, worked his way up to lead analyst in 2012, and took over equipment evaluation in 2017. He expanded his involvement in the gaming community by creating content himself. YouTube channel And Twitch channel. You can subscribe to the author on bluesky.
More articles
