UK Government to Investigate Rockstar’s Dismissal of Union-Organizing Employees

Rockstar Games is facing scrutiny over what seems to be union-busting actions. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, responding to pressure from parliament, stated that the government will “look into” the termination of 31 employees in October.

These employees were part of a private trade union chat group on Discord. Rockstar claimed the dismissals were due to “gross misconduct,” alleging that the workers shared confidential information outside the company.

However, many view this as a thinly veiled attempt at union-busting. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) labeled the incident as “the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry.”

In November, the IWGB filed legal claims against the developer of Grand Theft Auto. The following day, over 200 employees at Rockstar North signed a letter denouncing the firings and urging management to reinstate the dismissed workers. Earlier that month, protests took place outside Rockstar North’s Edinburgh headquarters, with additional demonstrations in Paris, London, and New York.

“It’s clear to everyone close to this situation that this is a blatant, unapologetic act of vicious union busting,” one of the terminated employees stated anonymously in November. “Rockstar employs so many talented game developers, all of whom are crucial to making the games we put out.”

Chris Murray, MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, who prompted Starmer’s response, mentioned in parliament that he recently met with Rockstar to discuss the situation. “The meeting only entrenched my concerns about the process Rockstar used to dismiss so many of their staff members,” he said. “I was not assured their process paid robust attention to UK employment law, I was not convinced that this course of action was necessary, and alarmingly, I did not leave informed on exactly what these 31 people had done to warrant their immediate dismissal.”

Murray also noted that Rockstar initially barred MPs from entering unless they signed a non-disclosure agreement, though the company later backed down on that requirement.

On Wednesday, Murray prompted Starmer’s remarks in parliament by asking if he agreed that “all companies, regardless of profit size, must follow UK employment law and all workers have the right to join a union?”

Starmer responded that he found the situation “deeply concerning.” He emphasized that “every worker has the right to join a trade union, and we’re determined to strengthen workers’ rights and ensure they don’t face unfair consequences for being part of a union. Our ministers will look into the particular case the member raises and will keep him updated.”