Rockstar and Unions: The Lawsuit Continues

There's a new development in the thorny issue involving Rockstar Games, and consequently its owner Take Two, on one side, and the British union IWGB on the other, regarding the 31 layoffs of Rockstar North employees last November.

Let's do a quick recap: Rockstar, which is the defendant in the lawsuit, laid off these individuals with the accusation of leaks, meaning they had disseminated confidential information about the status of work on the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI; according to the plaintiffs, however, the company's move was a preemptive one to prevent them from unionizing. The matter even reached, albeit as a pro-forma, the attention of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

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Today we received news that the first court ruling, presided over by Judge Frances Eccles, states that the court "was not able to conclude whether it appears likely that the primary reason for the dismissals was the employees' membership in the IWGB". The Discord chat in question involved over 350 employees, most of whom were not affected by the layoffs.

Reactions from Rockstar and the Union

"The Glasgow Employment Tribunal has rejected the union's application for interim relief - a Rockstar spokesperson told Kotaku - We welcome the decision which is consistent with Rockstar's position. We regret that we were put in a position where dismissals were necessary, but we stand by our conduct supported by the consequences of these statements."

But if Rockstar claims to have won the battle, IWGB warns that the war is still long: the union continues to point out that the company took action without following correct procedures, such as disciplinary meetings or internal investigations. Their accusations even include "internal espionage" with a board member allegedly posing as a union activist in the incriminating chat to identify "disruptive elements."

"Despite our application today being rejected - states president Alex Marshall, also to Kotaku - we have come out of the hearing more confident than ever that the tribunal will ultimately find Rockstar's attempt to crush the union not only unfair but also illegal. The fact that we were granted this hearing demonstrates the strength of our case, and over the two days of proceedings Rockstar consistently failed to substantiate the statements made to the press or to have acted maliciously and without respecting its own procedures."

The battle thus continues...