The Cine Technician (1943 - 1945)

THE CINE-TECHNICIAN The Journai of The Association of Cine-Technicians diforial & Publishing Office: 9, BROMEFIELD, STANMORE, MIDDLESEX. Telephone: EDGWARE 3119 advertisement Office: 5 & 6, RED LION SQUARE, LONDON, W.C.I. Telephone: HOLBORN 4972 Asiociate Editon : Darrel Catling, Sidney Cole, George H. Elvin. Kenneth Gordon, M. J. Land, Frank Sainsbury. • umber Forty-eight, Volume Ten May — June, 1944 Price One Shilling A.C.T.'s Eleventh Annual Report OUR BUSIEST YEAR If this year's report of the General Council to the Annual Meeting was a longer document tnan usual it was because A. C.T. in its eleventh year has had the busiest period in all its existence. For one thing, our membership continues to grow. We now have 3744 members as against 2908 last year and an expanding membership involves more work, more meetings, more negotiations, more discussions and decisions on broad issues of policy. The Annual Eeport appears at a stage in the war when all our thoughts are on early victory over the common enemy. The members of A. C.T. , whether in the fighting forces (seven hundred of them) or whether engaged in the civilian industry, have worked hard to aid the war effort. Although not relaxing their efforts their thoughts have naturally turned to the position of our industry after the war, and the Annual Eeport details the activities of the General Council on this question. Considered expressions of A.C.T.'s views have been prepared and deputations sent to voice them at meetings with the Board of Trade and the Cinematograph Films Council. In particular the General Council has not relaxed its campaign against the great commercial monopolies, British and American, that are trying to attain a stranglehold on the industry. One of the most practical and constructive measures has been the publication of an exhaustive memorandum on the post-war use of Documentary and Instructional Films. Again, with an eye to the future, the Council has approached the American Trade Unions in an effort to arrange a reciprocity agreement concerning technicians of one country working in another. We are determined that never again will our indus try be inundated by a one-way flow of foreign technicians. We shall always welcome the good ones, but only on condition that our members get a cham to go abroad in equal cumbers. As usual a good deal of the work undertaken by the General Council and the office staff has been concerned with negotiating agreements. The Studio Agreement has been the subject of several conciliation meetings, with on the whole favourable results for A. C.T. An agreement, based on the Studio Agreement, has been signed with Technicolor, and several additional companies have signed the Shorts Film Agreement. For the first time comprehensive agreement is being negotiated with the Newsreel Association, although due to the intransigence of the Employers it will have to go to arbitration before finality is reached. A substantial increase in the Cost of Living Bonus was secured from all Laboratory Employers and our members in this section are busily preparing a new basic agreement for early negotiation. An immense amount of detailed organisational work has been undertaken during the year by George Elvin and Bert Craik. Much of this is unspectacular but its value cannot be overestimated. Such things as addressing recruiting meetings, representing members at Tribunals and Appeal Boards, obtaining alarm clock permits for early-rising members, attending to clothing coupon problems, assisting the widows of members, advising individual members on personal problems, settling small local disputes and grievances — all this is the " bread and butter work " of any Trade Union. Without it being done properly no Union could survive and we are fortunate in having in