Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014 - 6

Arts & Entertainment
Salutes to the Ritzy
The trade union movement pays tribute to the
Ritzy campaign for the London Living Wage

T

he trade union movement
has paid tribute to the BECTU
members at the Ritzy cinema
for their spirited campaign on the
Living Wage. In September the
branch voted decisively to accept a
pay deal which moves them closer
to pay levels equivalent to the
Living Wage.
In a ballot which closed on Friday
12 September, members voted by
35 votes to four to accept
management's latest proposals on
pay.
The vote brings to a conclusion a
pay dispute which has had a far
wider impact than just the
members directly involved. The
campaign has reached out across
the UK, speaking powerfully about
fairness at work and the pressing
need for employers to ease the
burdens on low-paid workers by
adopting the Living Wage.

The agreement, which will now
be implemented at the south
London cinema, part of the
Picturehouse group, provides for
the following:
* 80p an hour supplement to be
paid on time worked, holiday
and sick pay; will also count
towards pension contributions;
* Immediate rise from current
£7.35 per hour to £8.00 per
hour backdated to October
2013; supervisors to retain
their differential of 50p an hour;
* Hourly rate to rise to £8.20 per
hour from 5 September 2014;
* Further increase to £8.40 per
hour on 2 January 2015;
* Further increase to £8.80 an
hour from 4 September 2015;
* Further pay talks for all staff,
excluding projectionists in June
2016;
* Projectionists' pay to rise by 5%

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6

Widespread support:
Eric Cantona joins
Ritzy staff on their
picket line

backdated to October 2013;
* Projectionists' pay to rise by
2.5% from September 2014;
* Projectionists' pay to rise by RPI
or 2.5%, whichever is the
greater in 2015 and 2016.
Reps at the cinema, who led their
members in an inspired battle
through 13 strikes between April
and July, agreed that the above deal
should be recommended to
members as the best possible
through negotiation.
TUC TRIBUTE

Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress,
said: "Trade unionists across the
country salute the Ritzy workers
for their struggle for the living
wage and winning a much
improved deal. It has been great
to see such enthusiastic and committed campaigning. Let's see it
spread to other cinemas and
other workplaces."
BECTU supervisory official Willy
Donaghy said: "It's inevitable,
despite this vote and the pay rises
to come, that there will be
disappointment that the company
has yet to formally adopt the Living
Wage. What is clear, however, is
that the branch will continue to
work for the incorporation of the
Living Wage into its collective
agreement."
BECTU's reps at the venue said:
"As a strong collective of staff at the
Ritzy, doing things differently has
been key to our success to date. We

have shown that workers don't
simply have to put up with poverty
pay, or feel powerless and isolated.
"A small milestone has been
gained with our new pay offer from
Picturehouse; winning what
equates to a 26% pay rise over
three years is a real achievement.
Although strike action will now
cease, our campaign for a Living
Wage and the dignity and justice
that it represents will continue.
"As Blanca in Land & Freedom,
directed by Ken Loach, said
'Tomorrow is ours!'"
OUTRAGE

However, as the journal went to
press, BECTU members expressed
their outrage that the backpay
received by members has been
reduced by the amount of noncontractual discretionary bonus
payments imposed by the company during the strike.
While the Ritzy members
continue their campaign for the
Living Wage BECTU has applied for
statutory recognition on behalf of
members at other Picturehouse
venues in Brighton and Clapham.
While the company has not yet
responded to the union's request,
they have employed a consultant
with a reputation as a union buster.
BECTU General Secretary Gerry
Morrissey said: "Our members at
the Ritzy and across the Picturehouse
group will not be intimidated into
giving up their fight for union
recognition and the Living Wage." l

Stage Screen & Radio October/November 2014
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Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014

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