The Cine Technician (1938-1939)

.March— April, 1939 T fi 2 CIiNE-TECHNIClAN 185 CHARTER for LAB WORKERS Ralph Bond tells the Full story .4)! agreement was signed on February lbth, 1939, between the Film Production Employers' Federation and the Association of Cine-Technicians to regulate the wages and ■working conditions of all workers in the employ of tinlaboratories which arc members of the Federation. It is the first Agreement covering laboratory workers in tinhistory of the British film industry, the first collective agreement affecting any entire section of workers in the history of the British film industry, the first agreement negotiated by the recently formed Employers' Federation, and the first collective agreement negotiated by the A.C.T. on behalf of a complete section of its membership. The A.C.T. Negotiating Committee was George II. Elvin (General Secretary), II. Craik (Chairman — Laboratory Committee) , and R. Bond, F. Fuller and W. Watts. v Signing the Agreement WHEN the General Council authorised its officers to sign the Laboratory Agreement, A.C.T. could justly claim that it had partly achieved its primary object — the establishment by collective bargaining of minimum wages and working conditions for its members. The Laboratory Agreement is the first step — and a very important step too. It has proved that our Union is strong enough to win substantial increases of wages for a considerable section of the membership. NEGOTIATIONS The Agreement has taken a long time to negotiate. We first suhmitted proposals to the Employers on November 21st, 1930. For months they declined to meet us. Our members, incensed at this discourtesy, made it clear through a ballot vote, showing 90 per cent for strike The Agreement operated from March 6th, 1939, and the laboratories affected are : — Associated British Laboratories, Elstree. Automatic Barnes. British Lion Film Laboratories. Dcnham Laboratories. G.F.D. Laboratories, Shepherds Bush. George Humphries & Co. Kay Film Printing Co., Finsbury Park. Kay Film Printing Co., West End. J. H. Martin. NatiO)ial Screen Services. Olympic Kine Laboratories. Pa the Laboratories K. E. Strange tk Co. Studio Film Laboratories. action it necessary, that they were not prepared to tolerate an indefinite delay and at last, on May 3rd, 1937, the Employers agreed to meet officers of A.C.T. and negotiate. Another delay ensued while the new Films Act was heing debated in Parliament and it was not until after the passing of this Act, with its Fair Wages Clause which included laboratory workers, that representatives of the two sides met round tin table with the serious intention o| hammering out an agreement. This meeting was held on July 28th. 1938, Captain Paul Kimberlev presiding. This proved to he the first of a long series of meetings. Often the conversations were amicable and good progress was made. At other times the proceedings became somewhat heated and deadlock appeared imminent. However it speaks much lor the chairmanship of Captain Kimberlev that we never actually came to blows! On one momentous occasion the A.C.T. representatives felt compelled to withdraw from the meeting. The minimum wage offer from the other side was considered unacceptable. We appealed to the Ministry of Labour to intervene and shortly afterwards the discussions were n sinned and the Employers made a better offer which was acceptable. Throughout the whole course of the negotiations the A.C.T. representatives worked in the closest collaboration with the Laboratory Committee and the General Council, and great tribute must be paid to the members of the Laboratory Committee in particular, who week after week advised and instructed their representatives in the most thorough and efficient manner. On November 29th. 1938. what w as thought to be the last meeting between the two sides was held. We met from 2.30 p.m. until past 8 o'clock in the evening with