More than 1,600 Rockstar Games employees in the UK will begin voting on union recognition on Thursday, with the ballot kicking off just a week before the long-awaited launch of Grand Theft Auto VI. The ballot, which opens on November 12 and runs until November 26, will determine whether Rockstar formally recognizes the Rockstar Game Workers Union, part of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB). Nearly all UK employees below director level are eligible to vote. If successful, the union would become the largest recognized union in the UK games industry, giving workers a collective voice. The proposed recognition agreement follows four months of negotiations between Rockstar management and employees. It would allow workers to negotiate over pay, overtime, pensions, bonuses, leave and other employment conditions, while securing consultation rights over HR policies and AI. The vote comes at a particularly busy time for Rockstar, with GTA VI finally due to arrive on November 19, more than 13 years after its predecessor. The game is expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, although the people responsible for making it have rather more immediate concerns than sales records. "I am incredibly proud of the work we’ve put into making this game. I’m also proud of the union we’ve built here. For me, those two things are connected," said Nestor Uriate, an animation programmer and Rockstar Game Workers Union representative. "We care deeply about the games we make, and we want to make sure we can continue doing that work in an environment where we’re respected, have a meaningful say over our conditions and can feel secure about our futures."…