- 220 letters signed by staff members at Rockstar, the studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series, were delivered to management at the company last week, demanding that the 31 employees fired are immediately reinstated
- The employees, all of whom were members of the IWGB Union, believe they were fired illegally for unionising, which the IWGB has described as “the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry”
- Fired Rockstar employees, supporters, and current staff gathered outside the company’s offices on 108 Holyrood Road every day last week, culminating in protests there and outside Take Two Interactive’s London offices on Thursday 6 November
- Further protests are planned to take place in London and Paris this Friday 14 November, and in Edinburgh on Tuesday 18 November
THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER: Staff working at Rockstar North, the developers of the Grand Theft Auto game series, have delivered a letter to senior management signed by over 200 members of staff, condemning the firing of 31 employees last week that is believed to be an act of union busting. In the letter, staff demand the immediate reinstatement of their colleagues, all of whom in the UK were members of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Union.
Last week, supporters protested in London outside Take-Two House, Rockstar’s holding company, in solidarity with the fired employees. A protest was also held outside the company’s offices on Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, where the ex-employees and current staff joined to demand reinstatement, as the culmination of a week of gatherings outside the company’s offices.
Rockstar have claimed in a public statement that the 31 members of staff were fired for leaking information in public channels, something that the IWGB has refuted, saying that workers only communicated in private and legally-protected trade union channels. The IWGB has now issued formal legal claims against Rockstar, asserting that it will pursue all avenues to ensure that members are reinstated and granted interim relief.
Further protests are planned for this Friday 7 November, starting with an 8am rally outside Take Two’s London office, followed by a protest at 4pm (CET) outside the company’s Paris headquarters, where members of STJV (Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo) will show their support for the fired workers. There will be another protest on Tuesday 18 November at 6pm outside Holyrood to coincide with a cross-party parliamentary group meeting on Scotland’s games industry.
Peter*, one of the staff fired at Rockstar last week says: “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.”
Fred Carter, an IWGB organiser says: “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.”
*Name has been changed to protect anonymity.
For more information, please contact:
Jake Thomas: jakethomas@iwgb.co.uk
Ellie Butcher: elliebutcher@iwgb.co.uk