The final hearing in the legal dispute between Rockstar Games and a group of former employees fired last year is set to commence this week, beginning September 10th. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), representing the affected staff, plans to hold a rally outside the Glasgow Tribunals Centre on the opening day.
The case stems from the dismissal of 34 Rockstar employees in November of the previous year. The studio cited discussions about a new Slack policy within a union-organized Discord server as grounds for termination, accusing the staff of leaking confidential information. The IWGB, however, has characterized Rockstar's actions as union-busting.
Earlier this year, an employment tribunal ruled that the former developers could pursue claims of blacklisting against Rockstar during the upcoming hearing. This ruling allows them to argue that the company took action against staff due to their union involvement.
The tribunal is scheduled to run from September 10th until at least October 15th. Union member and former Rockstar staffer Jason Lewis expressed that reaching this point has been a difficult but crucial fight. "We have fought tooth and nail to get to this point, not just to be able to win justice for ourselves, but to draw a line in the sand for any employer that thinks it can attack workers for unionising," Lewis stated in a press release. "It has been an emotional journey and it is not over yet, but we can now see the finish line, and justice at last feels within reach."
Supporters are encouraged to contribute to the group's "Fighting Fund" by purchasing union merchandise, rather than boycotting the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI. Concurrently, remaining Rockstar employees and the IWGB are working to establish the Rockstar Games Workers Union and are seeking official recognition from the company before the November 19th release of GTA 6.