Staff at Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar begin union recognition vote

Staff at video games developer Rockstar, which makes the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise, are beginning a ballot on whether to recognise a union in the workplace.The IWGB union said around 1,600 Rockstar workers who are based in the UK will have a chance to vote for or against a formal recognition agreement for the Rockstar Game Workers Union.A ballot opened on Thursday will run until November 26.On November 19, GTA VI is due to release to the public in what is expected to be the largest video games launch ever.Pre-orders of the game are already thought to have been worth hundreds of millions.An employment tribunal is taking place in Glasgow (Nick Forbes/PA)PA WireThe IWGB said a vote in favour of union recognition would create the largest recognised union in the UK games sector.Union officials said the ballot came after four months of meetings with management and employees.The bid for union recognition is also taking place during an employment tribunal case concerning a group of Rockstar workers who were dismissed in October last year.Twenty-three former staff, who are being represented by the IWGB, are taking part in an employment tribunal in Glasgow claiming they were unfairly dismissed for trade union activities.Senior company figures who have given evidence at the employment tribunal have strongly disputed this, saying staff were dismissed after “disparaging” comments were discovered on a Discord server.Nestor Uriate, animation programmer and Rockstar Game Workers Union rep, said: “I am incredibly proud of the work we’ve put into making this game. I’m also proud of the union we’ve built here. For me, those two things are connected.“We care deeply about the games we make and we want to make sure we can continue doing that work in an environment where we’re respected, have a meaningful say over our conditions and can feel secure about our futures.“This isn’t about some external organisation coming into Rockstar and telling us what to do. It’s about workers coming together and building something for ourselves – creating structures that allow us to have a voice, to decide what we want to change and to collectively push for better.”Read MoreA Rockstar spokesperson said: “We’re proud of our team, the culture we’ve built, and the game we’ve created. That’s all we have to say while we prepare to launch GTA VI.”