Rockstar Union Allegations Under Fire | Edinburgh News

0:00It's September 11th. This is Edinburgh News Today, local news powered by AI. So we're talking about Rockstar North, the folks behind Grand Theft Auto, and some serious allegations are coming out in an employment tribunal. Dane Orham, one of the former employees, testified that after a petition for unionization was handed over in the spring of 2023, a group of employees involved were put on a watchlist. Some claims the company kept a close eye on these union members. Now the big picture here is that Orham and others are alleging they were fired in October of last year, specifically because they were trying to. Organize a union. Rockstar North, though, is pushing back hard. They're denying these claims and arguing that the dismissals were due to gross misconduct, specifically citing the sharing of confidential information on an online forum. This whole situation has a lot of human impact, obviously. Who feel they lost their jobs over trying to improve working conditions?

1:00Orham, who's being represented by the independent workers union of Great Britain, told the tribunal that while the petition wasn't the only reason, for the sackings, it was definitely used as a basis to monitor people doing things the company didn't like. Further details emerged about a discord server. Orham helped set up where about 300 Rockstar employees could talk about the company. This for Rockstar pointed to form rules about being professional, suggesting they were often broken. Orham acknowledged some comments were problematic, but argued they didn't always cross the line into gross misconduct, though he admitted some. Moderation decisions might be handled differently in hindsight. The tribunal is still ongoing, with Judge Lucy Weisman presiding. It's a complex case with conflicting accounts of why these employees were let go, centering on union activity versus alleged misconduct. The outcome will be closely watched in the gaming industry.