November is potentially going to be big for Rockstar Games, and not just because of that GTA 6 thing they’re doing. As shared in a press release from the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), recognition of the IWGB Union at Rockstar will be voted upon by staffers at the studio, with votes being held from November 12th (a week before GTA 6’s launch date) and November 26th.
“The terms of the recognition deal, agreed upon by workers and management, would give workers a say over topics including pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working arrangements, and generative AI policies,” the press release explains. It also notes that if the vote is successful, the union will become the largest recognised union in the UK games industry.
This also comes at another pivotal time for Rockstar workers, both current and former alike. Almost exactly a year ago, Rockstar laid off 31 staffers in an alleged act of union busting. Fast forward to now, and an employment tribunal is being held between the game developer, the IWGB, and the laid off workers. Closing arguments for the tribunal will take place between November 17th and 18th, mere days ahead of the game’s launch. It’ll still be a while until a judge decides if Rockstar did break employment law.
In a statement, Rockstar Game Workers Union Committee Member Shanti Easton-Steel said, “For me, this vote comes down to ensuring employees at Rockstar get honesty and openness surrounding the decisions that affect them. When management choices are kept hidden, we can’t properly address issues like the gender pay gap, the uneven and ever-changing policies on overtime pay, or the concerns many co-workers hold around job security post-release.”
Solidarity with the workers as always. GTA 6 will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the decade, and everyone that has worked on it deserves to be properly compensated and assuaged of their concerns.