One could argue that right now is one of the most tenuous times in “worker history,” as there are tales of layoffs and firings happening all over the world, and especially in places like the United States, for reasons that will make you cringe. Of course, there’s the issue of artificial intelligence, which is slowly creeping up on many different workplaces, and then there’s just the fact that there’s plenty of greed going on in the world, and those at the top are trying to take advantage of that. To that end, Rockstar Games has been accused of “union busting” after firing some people within its ranks.
According to Bloomberg, a British trade union is the one making the accusations, stating:
“Rockstar has just carried out one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry. This flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry.”
Around 30 people were fired from this group across two different countries, which would be a bad thing indeed. In a response to Kotaku on the matter, Take-Two Interactive, who is the boss of Rockstar, said that this wasn’t the case at all, and that this was a very valid firing due to a specific reason:
“We strive to make the world’s best entertainment properties by giving our best-in-class creative teams positive work environments and ongoing career opportunities. Our culture is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness. Rockstar Games terminated a small number of individuals for gross misconduct, and for no other reason. As always, we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach.”
So, this is currently a battle of “they said, they said,” and it’ll be curious to see how things go forward. A deeper dive into things revealed that the people who were fired were indeed either in the British union we mentioned earlier, or were trying to get into it. Why does that matter? The reason “Union Busting” is a thing is that unions help ensure that workers are protected from oppressive companies, which can be a thing in the gaming space, as we all know. In fact, the gaming industry has seen more unions rise up in recent months, including some in big-name places like Activision Blizzard.
If this were a case of “gross misconduct,” then the charges would be beaten easily. If not, this could be a huge black eye on the company.
