The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

56 CINE TECHNICIAN April 1956 MIDDY LAB TOPICS (continued) another fifty years as Production Supervisor at Pinewood Studios. I am sure that our members will be pleased to hear this. Members in our TV field may be worrying as to what is happening to the meetings with Programme Contractors regarding an agreement. We have received from the employers' side a further draft in answer to A.C.T.'s requirements, and apart from the wage structure, the working conditions should be satisfactorily settled within a very short period. Needless to say, members will be kept fully informed and meetings will be called to advise them before aceptance of the conditions under which they will be employed. We should like to congratulate Erica Masters, the Secretary of the Assistant Directors' Section, and her husband on the birth of a daughter. British Acoustic Films — Our Committee in this shop continue to keep a very vigilant eye on matters in general concerning our members and have recently taken up with the management the question of canteen facilities and have approached the management with a novel scheme regarding the issue of overalls and laundering, repairs and subsequent replacements. A scheme has been worked out whereby participants can have this service at a cost of eighteen pence per week. The management will subsidise the extra cost entailed. They have also taken up very seriously the matter of fire drill in view of the combustible nature of the goods stored in the factory. They feel that some positive forms of drill should be instituted. In view of the wide coverage of membership within the factory they are having all minutes of committees duplicated and copies will go to each member. Edited bv ALF COOPER I" KNOW that the previous issue -* of the Journal carried a full report of the A.G.M., but I should like to wish Frank Fuller, who has been our Section Vice-President for so many years, good luck in his new office as Union Treasurer. I know he will carry out his new duties as ably as he carried out his duties on our behalf in his previous office. I hope as your new Vice-President the same can be truly said about me at the end of my term. Whether the A.G.M. and all the local activities which have to follow, namely the election of committees, etc., has taken up too much time or whether just nothing has happened in any laboratory, I do not know, but it is a fact very little has come to me for this issue of Topics. I think this is rather bad because at this time all laboratory boys really want to know what lads in other laboratories are thinking and doing. In view of this I shall give you a small look into the activities of the Technicolor members and their committee. Our Treasurer reported that he had banked nearly £1,000 in the first three months of this year, nearly double last year's figure for the same period, over £800 being subscriptions. Further, he reported that in the local welfare fund which we run there is over £120 in hand. This money is raised by voluntary efforts of members outside the normal activities of the Union. KODAK Following discussion the Stewards Committee passed the following resolution in line with the A.G.M. attitude to the Kodak situation: " That this American Company refuses to recognise A.C.T. and the Trade Union Movement and disregards the rights of members to have their wages and conditions negotiated by their Trade Union. We support the decisions of the A.C.T. Annual General Meeting and call on the A.C.T., A.E.U. and E.T.U. Executives with the help of the rest of the Trade Union movement to take the necessary steps to gain recognition." Members feel it very strongly that a foreign company should come to these islands, start up in business and refuse to the workers that which is a right of all workers in this, their own country, the protection if they so desire of a Trade Union. The officers of this shop have been instructed to inform the Kodak management in no uncertain terms their feelings in this matter. TRADES COUNCIL At one time there was a very young and virile Yiewsley and West Drayton Trades Council, but like many lusty infants it met with a bad accident and died, now we at Technicolor feel that it is time this district gave birth to another child and hope to give it the same name as the previous one. All this leads up to a report that owing to the large number of Trade Unions operating in this district which, I might add, includes London Airport, we at Technicolor feel that the only way we can really meet and discuss all problems affecting ourselves in the area is through a local council and not, as at present, by being attached in some small way to neighbouring Trades Councils. The Local Officers of Technicolor have been instructed to contact all Trade Union Shops and branches in this area and put this view to their officials with the hope that meetings of all Union representatives can take place, and that, as I said earlier, our local Trades Council can be reborn. If any officer of another Trade Union in the area reads this report I should welcome a letter from him or her