Rockstar UK workers to vote on union recognition

Rockstar Games employees in the United Kingdom are scheduled to vote on whether to recognize the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain from November 12 through November 26, a ballot that overlaps the planned launch of Grand Theft Auto VI and closing arguments in an employment tribunal concerning the dismissal of 31 workers. The vote will determine whether Rockstar’s UK staff formally recognize the IWGB. If approved, the Rockstar Game Workers Union would become the largest recognized union in the UK games sector, according to reports. The outcome is pending. The ballot opens a week before the reported November 19 console launch of Grand Theft Auto VI and closes a week after it. Closing arguments in the tribunal are scheduled for November 17 and 18, immediately before the game’s launch. The union vote and tribunal proceedings are separate processes. A successful recognition agreement would give workers collective bargaining over issues including pay, bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working arrangements and generative AI policies. The union and Rockstar management have been negotiating recognition terms since July, while organizing efforts have been underway for...