Employees at Rockstar Games' Edinburgh-based studio, Rockstar North, are set to participate in a union recognition vote between November 12 and November 26. This period coincides directly with the global launch of Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19. The vote will determine whether the IWGB Union will be officially recognized.
The agreement for this vote follows months of negotiations. These discussions have occurred against the backdrop of a dispute between the IWGB and Rockstar Games concerning the October firings of 31 employees accused of leaking company secrets. The IWGB has contested these dismissals, labeling them unlawful and accusing Rockstar Games of union-busting tactics. The timing of the vote also aligns with the closing submissions of an ongoing employment tribunal, scheduled for November 17-18.
Should the IWGB Rockstar Game Workers Union win the vote, it would establish the largest recognized union within the UK's video game industry. The union stated that recognition would grant workers a voice on critical issues, including pay, bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working arrangements, and policies concerning generative artificial intelligence.
Rockstar Games has previously indicated a willingness to engage with unionization efforts. Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar's Head of Publishing, told Bloomberg, "We go where the team goes. So if they want a union, they will have a union." This sentiment suggests an openness to respecting the outcome of the employee vote.
Shanti Easton-Steel, a production co-ordinator at Rockstar North and a member of the Rockstar Game Workers Union Committee, emphasized the historical significance of the upcoming vote. "This November, we have the chance to make gaming history not once but twice," she stated. "As all our hard work, skill and creativity are experienced by GTA 6 players for the first time, our voices will now be heard for the first time too."
Easton-Steel further elaborated on the importance of transparency and employee rights. "For me, this vote comes down to ensuring employees at Rockstar get honesty and openness surrounding the decisions that affect them," she said. "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." She expressed a desire for employees to have a "seat at the table to improve them," seeking to be as proud of the "voice Rockstar gives its staff" as fans are of the games produced.
Alex Marshall, President of the IWGB Union, echoed this sentiment, describing the vote as "just as historic as the game release." He highlighted that for Rockstar employees, the decision is deeply personal, representing a choice about having agency in their work lives. "From pay and pensions to parental leave and overtime, this agreement is a real chance to be involved in decision-making at Rockstar by becoming part of a democratic and member-led union," Marshall concluded.