The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

20 CINE TECHNICIAN February 1956 The General Secretary Writes: — Your duty to attend the A.G.M. A.C.T. is almost unique as a trade union as every individual member is entitled to attend the Annual General Meeting and therefore play a direct part in electing officers and principal committees for the coming year, endorsing or disapproving of the General Council's previous year's work, and voting on resolutions which will frame our policy for the ensuing year. Despite this opportunity there are members who have never attended and others who only attend spasmodically. The fact that they deprive themselves of the right to criticise by staying away is small consolation. We would much sooner they played a prominent part by being really active. The subjects to be discussed this year are as important as ever. They include a motion from the Producer/Directors Section viewing with alarm the shrinkage of studio space available for feature film production and the dangers arising from that shortage including the threats to the maintenance of quota, the continuation of strictly independent film production, and curtailment of the operations of the National Film Finance Corporation. These dangers were discussed in the House of Commons only recently, as our Editorial indicates, and we have our chance to raise the matter once again and shape policy for presentation to the President of the Board of Trade. Another aspect of national policy which will be under review is the threats to our members' living standards as a result of the Government's policy particularly as shown in the last Autumn Budget and the obvious corollary to criticism of this policy namely seeking authority to make appropriate demands for wage increases to main OUR COVER Our cover still is from Together, directed by Lorenza Mazzetti, which was shown earlier in the month at the National Film Theatre, Southbank. tain the standards of living of our members. There are a number of resolutions dealing with the failure of the B.F.P.A. to respond to our approaches both for salary increases in general and for salary increases and the raising of the overtime ceilings to those of our members who have had no increase in their minimum rates since 1947. Negotiations with the Programme Contractors Association for an agreement to cover commercial television are also up for discussion, the emphasis being on the fact that there is no valid reason for any basic variation in the terms of employment between makers of films for cinemas and makers of programmes for television. TWO VITAL PROBLEMS The laboratories draw attention to two vital problems, one the increasing incidence of dermatitis in film laboratories and members will have noted in the Annual Report a reference to a leaflet on this matter which has been prepared by our Medical Adviser. The second subject draws attention to the tendency towards excessive overtime which would have been very much greater than it has been in the past year but for the vigilance of the Laboratory Committee and the General Council. Whilst we pride ourselves on complete organisation in general, there are, as members know, a couple of black spots and one of these is down for attention this year. The General Council has tabled a motion complimenting our Kodak membership on their loyalty and deprecating the company's continued hostility and refusal to negotiate with trade unions. The Trades Union Congress itself, as members will hear, is to co-operate in an attempt to eradicate this black spot in British industry. Our newsreel members will be drawing attention to the question of Sunday duties and particularly the inadequate arrangements for compensation for these, and also to the Rota System which in the view of our newsreel members is jeopardising their livelihood. There is also down for discus sion a number of domestic matters such as A.C.T. Films Ltd., the " Cine Technician ", and subjects concerned with the organisation and efficiency of the Union itself. One unit wants us to extend the policy of purchasing shares in film companies so that we can attend shareholders meetings as it will be remembered we dramatically did at the Technicolor meeting during the Laboratory strike, and another unit seeks the approval of the Annual Meeting for A.C.T. to apply for corporate membership of the United Nations Association. The Technicolor membership have tabled a resolution on the proposed British Film Festival in Moscow and the Russian Film Festival in London. This summary will, I hope, persuade those members who have not bothered or not been able to attend in the past they they really do miss something in not coming to their Union's Annual Meeting. Not only is it their duty to come but also it is an experience which, if it at times gets occasionally hectic, is, overall, a well informed and well balanced discussion of the problems of the film industry in general and the problems of film technicians in particular. I hope, therefore, to see you all on March 10th and 11th, and, of course, also at the Rules Revision Conference the previous Sunday, 4th March, at which nearly fifty proposals will be discussed covering such items as the name of the Union, its scope having regard to the developments of television, and the general administration of A.C.T. including the obligations of members and the powers of the Executive Committee and General Council. A.C.T. APPOINTMENT Mr P. S. Leech has been appointed to fill the vacancy for an Organiser. ' Paddy Leech, who is a Lancashireman, worked for some time in the textile industry and also elsewhere for three years as a Trade Union Organiser. He holds a B.Sc (Econ.) degree in Industrial Law from London University.