The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

148 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN November, 1953 George Elvin addressing the Trades Union Congress, 1953 TECHNICIANS DEMAND PAY RISES— AND WHY 'Cine's' special summary of the case for improved conditions presented by George Elvin, the General Secretary, to meetings of the members concerned, and to the employers. AS anticipated in a recent issue, an application has now been made to the Film Laboratory Association for a revised Agreement. Main proposals are: (1) A comprehensive Agreement covering black and white, colour, clerical workers and general grades. (2) 30/ of the present Cost of Living Bonus to be consolidated in the basic minimum rates. (3) An overall increase of 30/ a week for graded employees. (4) Trainees and newcomers' rates to be increased by f 1 plus £1 consolidated from the Cost of Living Bonus. (5) 40-hour — 5-day week. (6) Three weeks' holiday with pay. (7) Rates for certain grades which were considered low in the present Agreement should have additional increases. (8) 100 per cent trade union membership. It is clear that as a result of the agreement with F.L.A. when negotiating the last Agreement two years ago to provide for the adjustment in the Cost of Living Bonus and 1/ a point rise or fall instead of 6d. we were taking reasonable precautions to prevent undue hardship arising from a substantial rise in the cost of living. Since July 1951, when the last Agreement was signed, the Cost of Living Index has risen 16 points. Comparing the Retail Price Index for July 1951 with today the Index for food is now 119i, for rent and rates 109, clothing 100, fuel and light 116. The only decrease is on household durable goods, which stands at 96. As an overall picture, £1 today is worth 18/ compared with what it was in 1951. This means, therefore, that there is a prima facie case for an increase of 25/ per week to, for example, a worker earning £10 per week less, of course, the 16/ which has already been paid under the Sliding Scale arrangement. There is no doubt at all but that A.C.T.'s application can be partly justified on the grounds of an increase in the cost of living but it is on other grounds that our case is mainly based. Hitherto we have made our claims on the employers based largely on basic needs and the cost of living. We have not stressed questions of productivity and profits but figures now available show very clearly that it is about time we did so. The Census of Production Report shows that output per person employed in film laboratories in 1950 was nearly double what it was in 1935 and 31 per cent more than in 1948. Whilst output went up in a substantial way, wages and salaries only increased by 4 per cent. Looking at the figures in terms of surplus available after meeting all the running costs of the plant, there was a surplus available of £10 per head in 1950 compared with £6 per head in 1948. This figure meant crudely but simply that each worker employed in a Film Laboratory in 1950, after having earned his own wage each week, after having earned his share of the company's overhead and running expenses, had contributed a sum of £10 towards the profits of the company. Unfortunately there are no Census figures available since 1950, but an analysis of individual companies' Annual Accounts bears out that the tendency over those years has been continued. At the Annual General Meeting of the J. Arthur Rank Organisation Mr. Rank was asked by a shareholder as to whether Denham Laboratories was profitable. His reply was " very profitable." Another shareholder then asked what profits could be expected from Denham Laboratories and Pinewood Studios, to which Mr. Rank replied he did not think it would be wise in the interests of the shareholders to show separately the profits from the Laboratories and Studios. It may not be wise in the interests of the shareholders but it is certainly wise in the interests of the employees and here, therefore, are the figures. Trading profit for the past six years totals nearly £li million. The ordinary dividend last year was over 55 per cent and dividends generally in the past six years have averaged over 50 per cent. In fact the returns to shareholders are even higher as under an Agreement dated 7th October, 1949, between the Laboratory and British and Dominion Films Corporation, who control the Company, the Laboratory have to pay B. & D. a commission of 71 per cent of the invoice value of all orders for the printing and processing of films for Gaumont British Picture Corporation and General Film Distributors or any company whose orders were placed with the Laboratory at the direction of cither such company. So B. & D., the principal shareholders, received an automatic 7J per cent profit in addition to the dividends received. Humphries Laboratory is another one which shows a steady record of prosperity. Their profits