The Cine Technician (1939)

68 T III C INE TEC HN I ( I A N June-July, [937 A Year's Good Progress A.C.T.'s Fourth Annual Report The Fourth Annual General Meeting of the Association was held at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Sired, E.C A, on Sunday, May 30th. .1 full report of the proceedings will lie published in our next issue. We give below the salient features of the Fourth Annual Report of the General Council to its members. Membership. Membership has continued to grow, and on the studio side 100 per cent, has been almost reached, there now being very few technicians who are not members. The laboratory section, formed at the beginning of the year, already has several hundred members, and the newsreel section, which has been in existence only a little longer, has also made satisfactory progress. The Associated Realist Film Producers Ltd., the organisation of the documentary directors, has taken up membership as an affiliated body. The following is a comparative table of membership at the 31st December of each year since formation :— 1933 98 members. 1934, 88 1935, 605 1936, 1122 Conditions of Employment Following upon replies to a questionnaire issued by the Council, and the views of members obtained at local meetings throughout the industry, the General Council prepared a draft Standard Agreement for submission as a basis of discussion to studio, laboratory and newsreel employers. The proposals were submitted on November 23rd to thirteen studios, three newsreel companies and five laboratories. Subsequently, the proposals were submitted to most of the remaining major companies. Negotiations are proceeding with certain of the companies concerned, hut delay has been caused through certain employers being unwilling to negotiate individually and therefore federating together in three groups, namely, studio and production, newsreel, and laboratory, acting through the Secretary of the Film Group of the Federation of British Industries. While A.C.T. is not averse to negotiating through a collective organisation, it must point out the serious position which will arise if employers attempt to use the strength gained through such federation in an effort to defeat the wishes of film technicians who desire reasonable stabilisation of working conditions and salaries, as appears to be the case at present as far as the newsreel and laboratory employers' organisations are concerned. It must lie stressed therefore that (if necessary) the General Council will take every possible action within its Rules in order to carry out the mandate of its members, given at the last annual meeting, in order to obtain a reasonable standardisation of working conditions and salaries for all technicians employed in the British film industry. It is, on the other hand, a tribute to the strength of A.C.T.'s position that subsequent to presentation of the Agreement a lew companies have felt it incumbent upon them to grant concessions and salary increases. First Studio Agreement with Technicians Negotiations in the first agreement in respect of film technicians in a British studio were successfully concluded on December 10th, when the Association and GaumontBritish Picture Corporation Ltd. signed an agreement in respect of salary rates and working conditions for members of the Association employed at the Corporation's studios at Shepherds Bush. The signature follows long negotiations, and is not the Standard Agreement, discussions having commenced long before its preparations. The Agreement covers minimum salary rates and regulations with reference to late work, location work, travelling expenses, termination of employment, holidays, sickness, assignment of services, etc. Agreement has also been reached with the Associated Realist Film Producers Ltd. and Strand Films Ltd. in respect of minimum salaries and working conditions of their employees, who are engaged in the document, irv field. Employment Bureau The A.C.T. Employment Bureau has served a two-fold purpose. Firstly, it has become generally recognised by the industry and during the year 78 studios, production companies and laboratories contacted 671 technicians through this medium. Secondly, the Bureau has served as a barometer of trade. Statistics as to numbers and personnel unemployed have been invaluable in propaganda, particularly concerning the employment of foreign technicians in the British film industry. Foreign Technicians Two deputations have been received by the Ministry of Labour, each of which has stressed strongly the Associate 'impolicy concerning the employment of foreign technicians and brought to the notice of the authorities specific cases where there appeared to be no possible justification for the employment of foreign labour. The serious position of the British film industry which developed towards the end of the year has made this question of even greater importance. The great slackeningoff of production with the resultant heavy unemployment must lead to a necessarv review oi the position of foreign technicians holding labour permits to work in the British film industry. The mam factor influencing the granting of permits has been that no British technician oi equal talent was available. This no longer holds good. Over 30 per cent, of the qualified British technicians -most of them of long experience and undoubted repute — -are to-day unable to find employment in the British film industry. The conditions under which the permits to foreign technicians were granted has entirely changed. AT I. 1 herefore, strongly urged that the changed conditions must result in a changed policy, and we arc glad to report that tin view point ha been reflected in permits refused and renewals not granted by the Ministry of I abour, resulting in employmenl of British technicians for the posts con1 erned.