"Tell these execs exactly what the city thinks of union-busters:" IWGB to stage rally with Rockstar bosses set for questioning at employment tribunal

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) will stage a rally outside the Glasgow Tribunal Centre on October 15, the day that Rockstar bosses Jennifer Kolbe and Rob Spampinato have been summoned to answer questions about the decision to fire 31 union members on October 31, 2025.

IWGB said the rally is a chance for workers and supporters to stand in solidarity with ousted workers and tell both Rockstar execs "what the city [of Glasgow] thinks of union-busters."

Rockstar was accused of taking retaliatory action against staffers for engaging in trade union activity in what one IWGB organiser described as an "Amazon-style act of union-busting unprecedented in the games industry."

The Grand Theft Auto VI studio said it fired those employees for discussing confidential information on Discord, which the IWGB claims was a private channel used to facilitate union activity.

The firings sparked a legal battle between IWGB and Rockstar that is now nearing its end. Both parties have been arguing their case in front of a judge at an employment tribunal in recent weeks.

Grand Theft Auto VI, which Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick claims is "arguably the most anticipated entertainment property of all time," is slated to launch just over a month later on November 19, 2026.

Court documents sent to press (notably, this reporter) by Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive in September laid out the core arguments on both sides.

The IWGB claimed Rockstar only dismissed union workers after their bargaining unit passed the 10 percent threshold for statutory recognition in the UK. Rockstar was also accused of planting a "mole" in the union Discord server to funnel information back to studio management and targeting "central" union organisers in order to destabilise the collective.

In its own opening note, Rockstar argued it took action to guard its "unique gameplay and design" processes, which it claimed was "akin to Apple protecting the iPhone or Coke protecting its formula." The company said it has become "hypervigilant" after previous leaks, including a phishing attack that resulted in Grand Theft Auto VI development footage being posted online in 2022.