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- The IWGB is accusing Rockstar Games of union-busting in the UK.
- The company fired 40 people for being in a union chat on Discord and trying to organize a union, per IWGB.
- On the other hand, Rockstar claims the employees were fired for gross misconduct.
Job security is not the most prominent benefit of working in the gaming industry, as layoffs have become increasingly common in this era of AI. Amazon just fired many employees working in its gaming division, while Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment label also let go of many developers.
With such minimal protection given to developers, unions have been growing in the gaming world, with developers at CD Projekt Red also forming one recently. However, it seems that one of the world’s largest developers doesn’t share the same opinion about unions.
Why it matters: A company as big as Rockstar busting unions is not a good sign for job security in the industry.
According to Bloomberg, Rockstar has fired up to 40 employees this week for actively participating in a Union or trying to organize one inside the company. The Independent Worker’s Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is accusing the company of carrying out the most ruthless act of union busting in UK history.
According to the IWGB, all individuals who were relieved of their duties were part of a private union chat on Discord and were already involved with one union or another. The American publisher fired these employees from its offices in both Canada and the UK.
Alax Marshall, the president of IWGB, described this move as contemptuous of the lives of the workers and an insult to the fans who have helped make Rockstar a billion-dollar company. Marshall also confirmed that his organization will take legal action against Rockstar and that the union at the company remains intact.
Responding to this situation, Alan Lewis, the head of global communications at Take-Two, explained that a small number of employees were fired for gross misconduct and that the parent company fully supports the decision made by Rockstar.
Do you think Rockstar did the right thing by busting a union in its company? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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