Fired GTA 6 developers take Rockstar to tribunal over alleged union-busting

An employment tribunal opened in Glasgow on 10 September over Rockstar's dismissal of 34 workers, 31 of them in the UK, who were working on GTA 6. The IWGB union says the firings were unlawful union-busting without proper process; Rockstar says they were for leaking confidential information. A ruling against the Take-Two studio could set a precedent for union recognition in the UK games industry.

Bottom line — A ruling for the 31 UK workers could make Rockstar the biggest unionised game studio in the UK.

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• Fired programmer Rachel Crawford told a rally that 'the modern workplace runs on fear' and that she was marched out of the office within minutes of being fired, according to Eurogamer.
• Rockstar insists the dismissals were for gross misconduct and says it 'will defend them vigorously before the tribunal,' in a statement to IGN.
• IWGB president Alex Marshall accused Rockstar of trying 'to get away with Grand Theft Employment Rights,' PC Gamer reports.
• The case was debated in the UK Parliament, with then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling it 'deeply concerning,' per Eurogamer.
• Rockstar says the Discord channel where comments were posted had hundreds of members, including rival developers and a journalist; the IWGB says it was private, according to IGN.
• Fired worker Will Mesilane had to return to Australia after Rockstar withdrew his work visa, IGN writes.
• The fired workers are asking fans not to boycott GTA 6, and to fund their legal case by buying IWGB T-shirts instead, reports Kotaku.
• Union recognition talks between Rockstar and the IWGB are ongoing; success would make Rockstar the UK's biggest unionised studio, IGN notes.

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