This week has been a tumultuous one for Rockstar Games, as the developer faces a wave of accusations of union busting following the layoffs of up to 40 employees.
Rockstar has maintained that the terminations were due to gross misconduct and the leakage of confidential materials. However, the IWGB union organization has insisted that the real motivation was to break up union organization within the company. In response, IWGB has launched protests at Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive’s London offices, demanding that the affected workers be reinstated.
The IWGB posted about its protests on social media channels this week, sharing images and updates from their assembly outside Take-Two’s UK offices. The group voiced its opposition to what it claims are attempts to disrupt union activity, stating, “We’re fighting back. IWGB organized a protest in front of the Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive in London today. We’ll make sure the credits are rolling on their corporate greed.”
Recently, Rockstar responded to the mounting allegations of union busting related to the firings. The company initially asserted that the dismissals were due to “gross misconduct” by the employees involved. According to reports, those same employees were also allegedly involved in organizing union activity within Rockstar Games. The IWGB continues to insist that Rockstar’s priority was disrupting and dissolving these union efforts.
Prompted by these claims, Rockstar released an expanded statement, alleging that the employees in question were caught inappropriately distributing confidential company materials in a Discord server.
The situation at Rockstar Games remains tense, as labor organizations and the company stand at odds over the true reasons for the firings. Protests and calls for reinstatement continue at Take-Two’s London offices, with the issue drawing significant attention across social media and industry circles.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146713/iwgb-rockstar-games-take-two-london-protest-layoffs
