Rockstar North: 220 employees demand reinstatement of dismissed employees

The controversy surrounding layoffs at Rockstar North has reached a new level with the signing of an open letter by 220 employees of the studio. The letter, delivered to senior management, condemns the dismissal of 31 workers on October 30th and demands “the immediate reinstatement of their colleagues”. This internal overwhelming support reinforces the accusations of union weakening attempts.

The union IWGB (Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain) accused Rockstar of trying to weaken the union, as all affected workers were members. The developer, on the other hand, claimed that the layoffs were motivated by leakage of “confidential information” and were not related to union activities.

The layoffs had already sparked protests outside the offices of Rockstar North and Take-Two Interactive in London and Edinburgh last Friday (November 7th).

New protests are planned for today (November 14th) in London, as well as a rally outside Take-Two's headquarters in Paris, led by members of Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV). A new protest is scheduled for next week (November 18th) outside Holyrood in Edinburgh, coinciding with a meeting of the cross-party parliamentary group on the Scottish games industry.

The IWGB had already initiated formal legal proceedings against Rockstar earlier this week, alleging that the studio had "refused" to meet with the union to resolve the issue.

The union stated: “Despite our representation and attempts to meet with Rockstar to resolve the issue through negotiation, Rockstar refused and persisted in dismissing union members in an unacceptable and illegal manner. Consequently, we have now initiated formal legal actions against Rockstar on behalf of the Claimants. Our members allege that Rockstar's conduct constitutes union victimization and blacklisting.”

The issue of the layoffs reached the House of Commons earlier this week, with Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, Christine Jardine, raising the accusations of Rockstar's union weakening attempts. Jardine used social media to urge ministers to "support the workers who have lost their jobs and prevent this from happening again."

220 employees of Rockstar North have signed a letter demanding the immediate reinstatement of 31 dismissed colleagues on October 30th. The IWGB accuses Rockstar of union weakening attempts, leading to legal actions for union victimization and blacklisting. New protests are planned in London, Paris, and Edinburgh, and the issue was raised in the House of Commons by MP Christine Jardine.