UK Employment Tribunal Rejects Rockstar Games Employees' Interim Pay Request
A UK employment tribunal has turned down a request from 34 former employees of Rockstar Games, who were fired last year, to receive interim pay while waiting for a full hearing about their dismissal. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) had accused the company of "union busting" following their termination.
The tribunal rejected the request despite the union's confidence that a full and substantive hearing would find Rockstar's actions to be unjust, unlawful, and in breach of its own procedures. IWGB president Alex Marshall stated, "Despite being refused interim relief today, we've come out of last week’s hearing more confident than ever that a full and substantive tribunal will find Rockstar's calculated attempt to crush a union to be not only unjust but unlawful."
The former employees were fired from their jobs in the UK and Canada, with 31 from the UK and three from Canada. The IWGB had accused Rockstar of firing its own employees due to leaks of company information on a Discord channel.
A spokesperson for Rockstar Games stated that they regretted having to make dismissals but stood by their course of action. However, it is unclear at this time whether Rockstar will be required to pay out any compensation.
This move comes as Rockstar continues working on its latest game, Grand Theft Auto VI, which was recently delayed from a planned May launch to November 19th.
A UK employment tribunal has turned down a request from 34 former employees of Rockstar Games, who were fired last year, to receive interim pay while waiting for a full hearing about their dismissal. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) had accused the company of "union busting" following their termination.
The tribunal rejected the request despite the union's confidence that a full and substantive hearing would find Rockstar's actions to be unjust, unlawful, and in breach of its own procedures. IWGB president Alex Marshall stated, "Despite being refused interim relief today, we've come out of last week’s hearing more confident than ever that a full and substantive tribunal will find Rockstar's calculated attempt to crush a union to be not only unjust but unlawful."
The former employees were fired from their jobs in the UK and Canada, with 31 from the UK and three from Canada. The IWGB had accused Rockstar of firing its own employees due to leaks of company information on a Discord channel.
A spokesperson for Rockstar Games stated that they regretted having to make dismissals but stood by their course of action. However, it is unclear at this time whether Rockstar will be required to pay out any compensation.
This move comes as Rockstar continues working on its latest game, Grand Theft Auto VI, which was recently delayed from a planned May launch to November 19th.
like seriously rockstar thinks it can just get away with busting their own union and firing people over some discord leak? newsflash guys: that's not how it works 
i mean what's next, you gonna fire someone for posting a meme on instagram? 
the fact that they're trying to downplay this whole thing by saying they regret having to make the dismissals is just laughable 
like, no dude, you got caught red-handed and now you gotta deal with the consequences 
I gotta say, it's pretty messed up that these ex-Rockstar Games employees are being denied interim pay 
. Like, they've been fired without any clear reason and now they're being made to wait for like, forever 
. It's not fair, you know? They might have had a good thing going with Rockstar, but then their colleagues spill the beans on a Discord channel and POOF! 
They're outta there.
. It's not like they've done anything wrong, except maybe for sharing some info that wasn't meant to be shared 
. And Rockstar is just sitting on their hands, saying sorry but standing by their actions 
. It's a bit concerning, you know?
. and now they're just gonna sit around waiting for this full hearing to happen? that's a long time to not have a steady income 
. i'm still rooting for the union though, they seem like they're fighting for the right thing 
. rockstar's just making this more complicated than it needs to be, imo 
.
. I'm keeping an eye on this one, it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out 
. They're going through a tough time, and it's not fair that they can't get some financial support while they wait for their full hearing. The fact that Rockstar is still working on GTA VI without its employees makes me wonder if this is all just a PR stunt to distract from the drama. I wish the tribunal had considered providing them with some interim pay, even if it's not the end result they were hoping for 
.
. The fact that 34 employees lost their jobs because of a leak on a Discord channel is pretty harsh, in my opinion 
. I mean, who hasn't had a little online mishap at some point? 
Still, it's not like Rockstar Games can just waltz out and start firing people left and right without facing any consequences 
They're already dealing with the stress of being fired and now they have to wait even longer for justice? 
It's like the company is trying to make them wait until they've finished their next game... I mean, come on, Rockstar! 
You can't just crush a union and expect everything to be okay. That's not how it works. 
It's like they think they're above the law or something. Newsflash, Rockstar: you can't silence your employees that easily! 
The IWGB is fighting for their rights and I'm rooting for them all the way! 
They should've at least gotten some interim pay, that would've been a decent gesture considering all the drama. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens during that full hearing... fingers crossed for those employees! 
. Companies shouldn't be able to fire employees because they unionize or share info on Discord, that's just basic employment law 
. I hope Rockstar gets what's coming to them... but let's see how it plays out, we don't know all the facts yet 
The IWGB is still confident in their case, and I've gotta give 'em credit for standing up to the big game developers. It's all about workers' rights, you know? 
And hey, at least Rockstar's not getting off scot-free – maybe we'll see some compensation down the line? 
! Let's keep supporting them! 