This week has been a hectic one for Rockstar Games, as the developer faces a wave of accusations regarding union busting following the layoffs of up to 40 employees.
Rockstar has maintained that these employees were terminated due to gross misconduct and the leakage of confidential materials. However, the IWGB union organization insists that the real priority behind the layoffs was to break up union activity within the company.
In response, the IWGB launched protests at Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive’s London offices, demanding the reinstatement of the affected workers. The union shared updates about the protests on its social media channels throughout the week.
The group gathered at Take-Two’s UK offices to demonstrate against what they claim are attempts to disrupt and dissolve union efforts. “We’re fighting back,” the IWGB wrote. “IWGB organized a protest in front of the Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive in London today. We’ll make sure the credits are rolling on their corporate greed.”
Initially, Rockstar stated that the firings were due to “gross misconduct” by the employees involved. Notably, these employees were also reportedly organizing union activity within Rockstar Games, which has fueled the union’s accusations.
To clarify its position, Rockstar released a new statement elaborating on the reason for the terminations. The company claims that the employees in question were caught inappropriately distributing confidential company materials via a Discord server.
As the situation develops, both parties remain steadfast in their positions, highlighting ongoing tensions around unionization efforts within the video game industry.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146713/iwgb-rockstar-games-take-two-london-protest-layoffs