Rockstar worker tells Glasgow tribunal staff were monitored after remote-work petition

Former employee describes suspected monitoring

A former Rockstar Games employee told an employment tribunal in Glasgow that he believed the company began monitoring workers after they signed a 2023 petition about remote working. Dayne Oram gave evidence on September 11 in proceedings examining whether the Grand Theft Auto developer unlawfully dismissed 31 Scotland-based employees for trade-union activity. His description of a watch list is an allegation and inference presented to the tribunal, not an established finding.

Oram said he saw a connection between the remote-work petition and dismissals made in 2025. Rockstar’s lawyer challenged that theory by noting that 141 of the 154 petition signatories were not fired. The company says employees were dismissed for gross misconduct after confidential information was shared, rather than for union membership or organising. That competing explanation is central to the case and prevents either side’s account from being reported as settled fact.

Discord messages form a major evidentiary dispute

Much of the hearing concerns a Discord forum used by about 300 employees to discuss workplace issues. Oram helped establish and moderate it. Rockstar argues that sensitive company information and disparaging messages circulated there; Oram acknowledged that some discussions became unruly and said he might now make different moderation decisions. The tribunal must decide whether the content justified dismissal or whether the company used alleged confidentiality breaches as a pretext against organised workers.

The case extends beyond one studio

Rockstar dismissed 34 workers in total, including three in Canada who are not part of the Scottish proceedings. Twenty-three of the 31 Scotland-based employees are participating in the case with representation from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain. The hearing is expected to last about six weeks, with company witnesses due in October. Current staff are separately seeking formal union recognition, giving the judgment potential significance for labour organisation across the games industry.

Government guidance published on January 8 confirms that trade-union law in Scotland entered a transition in February 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025. The guidance explains which new provisions apply and which older rules remain preserved for proceedings that began earlier. It does not determine the Rockstar dispute, but it underscores why the timing of the alleged activity, dismissals and tribunal claim may matter to the legal analysis.

What the tribunal must establish

The decisive evidence will include the dismissal records, internal communications, the relationship between petition signatories and those selected for termination, and the nature of information shared in the forum. Testimony from Rockstar managers should clarify whether a monitoring list existed and how the company assessed individual conduct. Until judgment, the case remains a contested test of where confidentiality enforcement ends and unlawful retaliation for collective workplace activity begins.