Ritzy Living Wage

A Living Wage for Ritzy Staff

Workers at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton striking in 2014
Full name	A Living Wage For Ritzy Staff
Founded	2007
Merged into	Living Staff Living Wage
Country	Brixton
Website	http://livingstafflivingwage.tictail.com/

A Living Wage for Ritzy Staff is an ongoing campaign including industrial action led by Bectu union members at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, United Kingdom.

The Living Staff Living Wage campaign is an umbrella term for the organised workers behind the industrial actions at Picturehouse Cinemas in the United Kingdom. From 2016 there have been coordinated strike actions across five further Picturehouse cinemas, Hackney, Piccadilly Central, Crouch End, Brighton Duke of York's and East Dulwich.^[1]

Background

Workers first went on strike in 2007 as they were only receiving the then minimum wage of £5.35, with workers recognising the then poverty line as being £6.25.^[2][3]

In February 2014 reps met with Picturehouses at ACAS and were offered a deal that fell short of the living wage, following this in March 2014 workers balloted for industrial action. One action in June involved workers leaving their picket line in Brixton to travel to Hackney Picturehouse to demonstrate the perceived irony of the chain hosting of the Amnesty International Football and Human Rights Film Festival. The protest gathered a lot of attention as Eric Cantona came out from the cinema to join the workers' protest and show solidarity.^[4]

In August Picturehouse proposed a new pay rate of £8 (raised from £7.53) with a promise it would rise to £9.10 by 2016.^[5] In a following ballot which closed Friday 12 September, members voted to accept more detailed pay increases, with the highest paid members paid £8.80 still just short of the living wage, claiming some victory the Ritzy reps produced a statement saying "A small milestone has been gained with our new pay offer from Picturehouse; winning what equates to a 26% pay rise over 3 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."

In March 2015 members won the TUC Youth Campaign Award for their work on 2015's campaign.^[6]

In September 2016 negotiations reopened between BECTU members and Picturehouses, the members reignited their main purpose of instating the living wage at their workplace, at this point London Living Wage being £9.40 with the Ritzy staff's wages still falling short at £8.80 an hour. In addition the campaign asks for company sick pay for all staff, company maternity, paternity and adoption pay and fair pay rises for supervisors, managers, chefs, sound technicians, and projectionists. The first walk out of the current dispute was 24 September 2016 where workers dressed up as Star Wars stormtroopers holding signs with the slogan "The Ritzy Strikes Back!" A statement from the reps read "We reject the notion that Cineworld Cinemas can get away with the economic irresponsibility it displays towards its workers at Picturehouses and Cineworld any longer, A company with £83.8 million in post-tax profit from 2015 can afford to meet our needs. We are forced into taking strike action by the unwillingness of the company to negotiate on our 2016 BECTU claim at ACAS. We welcome news of Hackney Picturehouse workers' decision to ballot for the same demands and embrace a sister site who will campaign alongside us".^[7]

Striking Picturehouse staff demonstrating in Leicester Square, London, 2017

Industrial action has spread to five further Picturehouse cinemas, Hackney, Piccadilly Central, Crouch End, Brighton Duke of York's and East Dulwich^[1]

In July 2017 three reps were sacked by Picturehouses on the accusation that they knew of community direct action tactics.^[8] At July demonstrations, Owen Jones and John McDonnell attended a protest asking Picturehouses to reinstate the sacked reps, Jones declared "The Ritzy workers will win!".^[9] Two sacked staff representatives whose cases were heard at employment tribunal were unanimously found to be unfairly dismissed, citing a 'lack of neutrality at the investigation and disciplinary stages'.^[10]

In August 2017 staff again voted in favour of strike action, with dates to be set.^[11]

Union Recognition

In addition to the strike demands of Ritzy staff, BECTU members at other striking cinemas have been campaigning for recognition of the independent BECTU union and derecognition of the Picturehouse Staff Forum, a company union. The Forum was founded by senior Picturehouse management in response to a request from BECTU to continue an existing agreement when the chain bought the Ritzy Cinema in 2003; after a court case, BECTU was recognised and negotiations began in 2004. The voluntary recognition agreement with the Staff Forum, signed by management without staff consultation, still covers employees at all Picturehouse cinemas except the Ritzy^[12] and prevents the recognition of another union unless derecognised.

A challenge in 2014 by BECTU against the union status of the Forum was made with the Central Arbitration Committee.^[13] The challenge was rejected, however the decision of the committee has been criticised as not respecting the spirit of laws governing trade union representation, while the committee itself described the Forum as 'highly atypical as an organisation, let alone an organisation of workers'.^[14]

Support from within the film industry

John McDonnell MP has joined striking workers demonstrating at the Ritzy saying "The whole labour movement will stand shoulder to shoulder with victimised workers at the Ritzy cinema and across the Picturehouse chain."^[15]

In a Guardian video interview between Owen Jones and Russell Brand, Jones wore the iconic Living Staff Living Wage campaign tshirt and the pair discussed the strikes. Brand declared "First the Ritzy, then the world!"

Other film stars and celebrities such as Sir Patrick Stewart, Richard Curtis, Lindsay Duncan, Sir Mark Rylance^[16] Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and Eric Cantona have lent their support. Following a staff protest during the 2017 BFI London Film Festival, high-profile UK industry figures signed an open letter calling for cinema chain Picturehouse, and owner Cineworld, to end the dispute.^[17]

References