Rockstar union members have raised concerns regarding potential gender-based pay gaps, contractual overtime requirements, and the management of bonuses.
Speaking to Game Developer, three members of the Rockstar Game Workers Union explained their reasons for pursuing collective action and voluntary union recognition.
In response, Rockstar’s parent company Take Two Interactive said: “We have fostered a culture which is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness, and where we support and reward the team across all levels of the business through competitive compensation and benefits policies.
“We are proud that as a result, our employee retention is well above the industry standard. We have received a request from a union seeking to discuss voluntary recognition. We value an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and will arrange to meet.”
Despite the company’s commitment to open dialogue, employees highlighted ongoing concerns about Rockstar’s labour practices.
The employees, who requested anonymity, are not part of the group laid off last year that is currently in a legal dispute with Rockstar over alleged union busting.
One employee described Rockstar’s bonus system as unpredictable, leading to significant fluctuations in annual pay due to retrospective feedback.
“When the bonus is particularly good, it can be a windfall, but often the bonus is disappointing and one can end up being paid considerably less than expected for the year,” they said.
“The reasoning given for this is often nebulous, inconsistent between departments, even inconsistent between team members within the same department, and sometimes hinges on completely subjective or retroactive criticisms.”
The worker continued: “The main problem is that [bonuses and progression are] all completely discretionary for the company, and they are under no obligation to show their working. Employees want good pay, and if literally anything they do that year could affect it, they will naturally feel they have to be as pliable as possible to their boss’s whims.”
Employees also reported that the median gender pay gap at Rockstar “has widened” in recent years and that the company has discontinued initiatives intended to address it.
A primary concern was crunch, with one worker stating that Rockstar “built into our contracts, as standard, an opt out of UK Working Time Regulations that stops your employer being able to ask you to do more than about 10 hours extra each week.”
Although workers can opt out of this law to work additional hours, employees state that this provision is “built into” their contracts, requiring them to opt back in to prevent excessive overtime.
“The union successfully ran a campaign to inform people they could opt back in to the regulations at any time, which resulted in Rockstar management simplifying the process and removing the obligation to meet with HR,” the worker continued.
“Part of the problem with crunch is that there is not an agreed definition, and now it seems the company thinks that offering specific and limited compensation as an incentive for overtime means it no longer qualifies as crunch.”
Overall, workers stated that roles at Rockstar are not balanced, with some staff “not being adequately compensated for their role” in developing Grand Theft Auto 6.
“There are those [within Rockstar and Take-Two] with hundreds of millions of pounds, there are those receiving excellent pay for their work and are grateful, and there are certainly those that are woefully underpaid for their effort and the incredible profits gained,” said one source. “Especially when you consider that the company gets hundreds of millions in tax breaks for [its] UK workers.”
