Because the UK authorities not too long ago introduced plans to analyze the firing of greater than 30 Rockstar Video games workers, the studio stood by its place, reiterating that the firings occurred solely as a result of the workers in query claimed to have been discussing confidential data in public. In an announcement offered to IGN, grand theft auto The developer insisted that any suggestion that the layoffs have been a part of a union-busting marketing campaign is “utterly false and deceptive.”
“Rockstar Video games has introduced authorized motion throughout the UK and abroad in opposition to a small variety of people who distributed and mentioned confidential data (together with sure sport options for upcoming and unannounced titles) in public boards in violation of firm coverage and authorized obligations. Any claims that these terminations have been associated to commerce union membership or exercise are utterly false and deceptive,” a Rockstar Video games spokesperson mentioned in an announcement.
The assertion got here shortly after British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised an investigation into Rockstar’s conduct. He made the feedback throughout a current query session within the British Parliament, the place MP Chris Murray introduced up the hyperlink between the dismissals and the corporate’s union-busting practices.
“Rockstar, the online game firm in my constituency, fired 31 workers final month with out proof or union illustration,” Murray advised Congress. “The IWGB (Unbiased Labor Union) is advocating union busting. I met Rockstar they usually haven’t reassured me that they’re following employment regulation. I share their issues about union busting.”
βProvided that this Authorities is chargeable for the largest enlargement of employee rights in a era, does the Prime Minister agree that each one corporations, whatever the measurement of their income, should abide by UK employment regulation and that each one employees have the correct to hitch a commerce union?β
“This can be a very worrying incident,” Starmer responded. “All employees have the correct to hitch a commerce union and we’re decided to strengthen employees’ rights and be certain that they don’t face unfair penalties for being a part of a commerce union. Our ministers will examine the precise case introduced by him (Mr Murray) and can hold us up to date.”
Experiences that Rockstar Video games had fired these workers got here to mild in November, and the corporate was subsequently criticized by IWGB chairman Alex Marshall for what he referred to as “some of the blatant and ruthless acts of union-busting” within the video games trade.
“Rockstar simply dedicated probably the most blatant and callous union-busting act within the historical past of the gaming trade. This flagrant disregard for the regulation and the lives of the employees who make billions of {dollars} is an insult to their followers and to the worldwide trade,” Marshall mentioned.
A report from a number of weeks in the past recommended that fired workers have been merely utilizing Discord channels to debate union-related matters, provided that Rockstar Video games eliminated a number of channels from Slack, leaving workers with no solution to talk about non-work matters with one another. So workers began holding discussions on Discord as an alternative.