The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

58 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN April 1954 Back at Head Office on Thursday evening 25th March, the lights were unusually bright in the Committee Room. They were trained on the Executive, who had a difficult decision to make — whether to agree to the Ministry of Labour's request to lift the overtime ban and work-to-rule. The B.B.C. television newsreel had come to film us, and with Frank Fuller in the chair we started a mock debate on this crucial question. Then, with the newsreel over, we got down to business to an accompaniment of phone calls and knockings on the front door from eager press men. At the Gaumont, Hammersmith mass meeting on Sunday 28th, at which the Executive's recommendation to lift the overtime ban and work-to-rule in the circumstances of the Committee of Investigation were overwhelmingly endorsed, I had a few words with Peter Chaubert, Steward at Olympic Labs. He had also been filmed by the television newsreel, holding up a poster which read : FILMS EARN MILLIONS OF POUNDS. WE ASK FOR SHILLINGS AND GET THE SACK. These posters were due to the fraternal co-operation of Jack Gilbert of the E.T.U., who got them done for the A.C.T. Peter Chaubert drew the moral from this, and hoped that soon his Shop would see the value of affiliation to the Acton Trades Council — " They could have been very helpful to us in the last week, if we had been members," he said. He was bubbling over with praise for the women of Olympic Kine, who were doing the four-hour picket duty as solidly and as regularly as the men. Holding the fort at the Faraday Hall, Acton, all during the day were Chairman Len Meads and Secretary Brian West, and they were joined by Les Beard and Peter Chaubert when these latter two were not at some meeting or another. Len Kunkcl, bj Land Peter Chaubert and Jack Lucas, by Land What impressed Tony Osborne, Technicolor Negative Control, when he visited the Committee Rooms at the "Bricklayer's Arms" was the smooth organisation of the vast amount of clerical work the Committee had to do; any queries were sorted out as soon as they came up, and the Administrative staff was keen to get all jobs done with businesslike efficiency. A deputation to the House of Commons was being arranged, and Melvin Harris, Matrix Printing Dept, recounted how with George ("Digger") Downes, Councillor Ernie Perkins, Jock Jeffreys and Jimmy Wild he had interviewed the local M.P.s, Frank Beswick, Fenner Brockway and Arthur Skefflngton; they were quite indignant to hear about the lock-out, and promised to see what they could do. The deputation had run into George Elvin and Sid Cole, who were at the House in connection with the Commercial TV Bill, and they were delighted to hear of Technicolor's initiative. Peter Cullum was in charge of the Technicolor Committee Rooms; he was sure that everyone appreciated the hard work the thirty or so boys and girls from the Administrative and Wages Depts. had done there in dealing with all the problems — welfare, treasury, typing, picket rotas for Harmondsworth and the tool room at Poyle, keeping their records up to date, and getting out speakers' notes. Their only regret was that because of these jobs, they had not been able to go on all the demonstrations. Convenor Rae Sharpe outlined the behind-thescenes work that had gone to make the demonstration so successful : Ken Woolens was in charge of all transport and speakers, Dan Claridge organised the pickets and posters, and local Treasurer Bob Roberts and Jock Bain looked after the kitty — in a week £260 had come in. These and many others besides had enabled the Technicolor Lock-out Committee to send out 800 appeals to trade union branches and factories, distribute sixteen thousand leaflets and conduct a number of factory-gate meetings nearby. But it was not all work; Gordon Woods, the Treasurer of the Technicolor Sports & Social Club, had come out with the rest, and was running the football team from the Committee Room.