UK creative industries union Bectu has written to AMPTP president Carol Lombardini regarding the alliance’s ongoing disputes with WGA East and West and SAG-AFTRA.
Nearly 4,000 film and TV workers in the UK recently shared their experiences of the industry shutdown with Bectu, who found that 8 in 10 have been directly impacted by the US strikes, and three quarters are currently without work.
A quarter said they did not see themselves working in film and TV in five years time.
In the letter, head of Bectu Philippa Childs says: “This crisis is not of the crew’s making. Yet it is they who are paying the price of your failure to reach an acceptable agreement with our colleagues in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
“It is they who face no work and no income while the dispute drags on and they who bear the brunt of these protracted negotiations. It is surely undisputable that you have a responsibility to the workforce that is so integral to creating the content that you profit from.”
Childs pointed out that AMPTP members produce content in the UK because of the high-quality, sought after skills of the crew, as well as the tax incentives and excellent facilities offered by the studios. “Yet our survey shows that a quarter of UK film and TV workers are considering leaving the industry because of its precarious nature,” she added. “There is a very real danger that talented crew with transferable skills will take their expertise elsewhere. This should sound alarm bells to anyone who wants to see the UK and global industry thrive into the future.
“The AMPTP must accept that it is the workforce that enables you to make the considerable profits that you do. It is time that you recognise that this workforce deserves a fair contract, to work reasonable hours and to have confidence that the introduction of artificial intelligence should enhance workers’ roles and not replace or take unfair advantage of them. It is time to address the huge inequalities within our industry and it is time for you to support crew through this shutdown,” she said.
