Rockstar staff ballot on union recognition ahead of GTA VI launch

Staff at the video games developer Rockstar, creators of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, are commencing a ballot to decide on union recognition. The IWGB union stated that approximately 1,600 Rockstar employees based in the United Kingdom will have the opportunity to vote for or against a formal recognition agreement for the Rockstar Game Workers Union.

The ballot is scheduled to run from November 12 until November 26. This period precedes the public release of Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19, an event anticipated to be the largest video game launch in history. Pre-orders for the game are already estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Tribunal proceedings

The push for union recognition is occurring concurrently with an employment tribunal case in Glasgow. This tribunal involves twenty-three former Rockstar staff, represented by the IWGB, who allege they were unfairly dismissed for engaging in trade union activities. Senior company representatives have contested these claims, stating that dismissals followed the discovery of "disparaging" remarks made on a Discord server.

The IWGB indicated that a 'yes' vote for union recognition would establish the largest recognised union within the UK games sector. Union officials reported that the ballot followed four months of discussions between management and employees.

Nestor Uriate, an animation programmer and union representative, expressed pride in both the work on the upcoming game and the established union. He stated that the union's aim is to ensure workers are respected, have influence over their working conditions, and feel secure about their future employment. He clarified that the initiative is driven by workers building something for themselves to gain a collective voice and advocate for improvements.

Rockstar Games has been contacted for comment.