Rockstar Games vs. the Union: Why the Employees Were Fired

The story of the conflict between Rockstar Games and the union continues (part one, part two, and part three). As promised, on November 17 a new protest was held outside the Rockstar North headquarters. Gathering on a rainy Monday evening to the music from Trailer 1, the demonstrators chanted slogans and demands, and then marched toward nearby Parliament.

A week later, on the 24th, a new report was published revealing details behind the firing of 34 employees. Last month, the company changed the rules for using its corporate Slack workspace, banning discussions about pets, music, and other non-work topics. Even emoji use was restricted — reportedly because 🌱 has, during the wave of industry-wide layoffs in recent years, become a symbol of union organizing. Union members among the Rockstars posted an internal document on their Discord server, where representatives of the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) are also present. The discussions there included salaries, bonuses, working hours, and other details. In other words, as expected, there were no GTA 6 leaks.

Not that management ever claimed there were. It seems they simply seized the moment to weaken the union’s position, using the reasons listed above as a pretext.

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