Rockstar Games will face an employment tribunal in Glasgow from Thursday over the “unlawful” firing of 31 workers last year.
The news comes just weeks before the Edinburgh-based video games giant is due to release the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI – touted as the biggest video game release ever.
In October last year, Rockstar sacked 31 workers, in a move described as “union-busting” by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which represents the workers.
The IWGB will give evidence alleging that workers were targeted due to their union membership at the tribunal, which will begin on 10 September in Glasgow.
IWGB also claims the studio “blacklisted” employees and denied them basic protections by refusing to provide right of appeal or follow a disciplinary process.
Rockstar instead claims employees were dismissed over messages posted in a private union Discord channel, which they claim breached confidentiality agreements.
The union maintains that the dismissals were an attack on the workers’ union activity.
The hearing will conclude on October 16, just weeks before GTA VI releases on November 19.
Jason Lewis, former Rockstar employee and IWGB Union member, says: “For almost a year, the truth about what happened to us has been buried by Rockstar and surrounded by speculation. Now we finally get the chance to put it on the record.
“None of us imagined that talking to each other about our working conditions would turn our lives upside down and catapult us into the centre of a global media storm.
“As the world prepares for the release of GTA VI, we are reliving the heartbreak of being thrown out of a project we poured so much of our lives into.
“We lost our jobs, our income, our community and the chance to see the game through to release after spending years helping to build it. It was devastating.
“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.
“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.”
Alex Marshall, president of IWGB, added: “We believe Rockstar has tried to get away with Grand Theft Employment Rights.
“After a year of fighting to get answers, we hope this tribunal will finally back them into a corner and bring the truth to light.
“As the world gets its first proper look at GTA VI, this hearing will give people a chance to look behind the scenes at what happened to the workers who helped make it.”
Workers are seeking to be compensated or reinstated in their roles by Rockstar.
A spokesperson for Rockstar Games said: “Rockstar Games’ position has been clear and consistent throughout.
“Individuals across the UK and Canada were dismissed for gross misconduct following the sharing of confidential company information, not because of alleged trade union membership or activity.
“We reject the claims and will defend them vigorously before the tribunal.”
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