BECTU letter to AMPTP: “We urge you to put in place financial support for UK crew"
Bectu head Philippa Childs has written an open letter to the president of the AMPTP urging financial support for UK crew who have been hit by the dual strikes in the US.
In the letter, Childs states: “The industry in the United Kingdom, like the US, has ground to a halt because of this dispute and our members, who work as behind-the-scenes crew and background artists, have been laid off under ‘force majeure’ contracts with very little notice and nil pay.
"Others who work in the fashion sector, styling actors for promotional opportunities and events, have also lost work for the foreseeable future.”
Bectu recently published figures showing that, 8 in 10 (of 4000 respondents) had been directly impacted by the strikes, with 75% currently unemployed. A quarter said they did not see themselves working in film and TV in 5 years’ time.
Childs said: “The UK’s and indeed the global screen industries simply would not survive without the workforce. This is an industry which sees enormous profits enter the pockets of the AMPTP’s members. Meanwhile, it is hardworking crew and other workers who are worried about their mortgages defaulting, or how they might survive several more months without work in what is already a precarious sector.
“The AMPTP cannot be ignorant of the huge and detrimental impact their disputes are having on our industry and we urge them to do the right thing and resume negotiations with a genuine resolve to reach a satisfactory agreement.
“Film and TV workers, many of whom have spent decades in the industry, are walking away, unable to sustain a career in the sector that they love. These are highly skilled professionals with transferable skills who can and will take their expertise elsewhere if things do not improve.
“The AMPTP and its members must take notice and get back to the negotiating table. If they want to see the UK and global industry thrive into the future they should be directing all their energies into resolving this dispute.”
You can read the letter in full here https://members.bectu.org.uk/advice-resources/library/3154.
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