Film and TV Technician (1957)

May 1958 FILM & TV TECHNICIAN 271 The Laboratories have always formed the hard industrial core of our Union. The article which appears below tells the history of some of the earlier struggles which have led up to the much happier circumstances in which relations between employers and employees in the laboratories stand today. The Laboratories' CILVER JUBILEE! The strug^ gles, the trials, the patience and the triumphs that have punctuated our progress during the past twenty-five years! Indeed, the Laboratory Branch can be justly proud of the part its members played in forging some of our history. For example, membership had just topped the 750 mark when Laboratory workers began to join A.C.T. George Elvin, Ken Gordon and Sid Cole had a lot to do with this early recruitment. In one way or another, they managed to meet laboratory workers and gain their interest in the trade union movement. I remember Sid Cole addressing a group in the boiler house at Elstree Laboratories during one lunch hour in October 1935, where the boys had gathered out of the cold to eat their sandwiches. Hard Core of Branch This concentration on early Laboratory recruitment went on from August until December, 1935, and during that period, the first 80 members were accepted and formed the hard core of the Laboratory Branch which now has a membership of nearly 3,000. Charles Parkhouse, now Studio Manager at Carlton Hill Studios; Sid Bailey, Negative Developer at Stolls, and Cyril J. Philips, now Managing Director of Pathe Laboratories, were three of the first members to join. IncidentaUy, Cyril Philips was the first chairman of the Laboratory Section; and I can still remember him comfortably puffing away at his pipe whilst presiding over meetings. From Pathe Laboratories, Frank Fuller, a previous Chairman of the Laboratory Section, a VicePresident, and now Treasurer of the Union, also joined together with Bill Sharpe, Joe Bremson and J. Ritchie. At Elstree Laboratories, there were Steve Cox and Clifford Boote, both editing now, also Bob Bennett, Reg Marsh, Charlie Holloway, Sid Twyman, A. Taylor, Eva Howes, Gwen Evans. Ernie Welch, Arthur Lee, Story M. Ash, who is now the manager of Elstree Laboratories, and Alf Cooper, now Vice-President and Chairman of the Laboratory Branch. From Gaumont British Laboratories, Shepherds Bush, May Dennington, G. Duff, Albert By BERT CRAIK Dyas, Charles Gunnel, F. C. Oliver and P. Knight. The Laboratory members were soon operating on a branch basis. Those earlier years were spent in preparing a draft agreement and building up the membership. The appalling conditions in film processing laboratories helped a lot. There were about fifteen laboratories all paying just what they liked to their staff, with working conditions fluctuating widely and no employers' organisation through which a common policy could be discussed. Wages were so low that printers could be got at 35/ a week. In such a setting it was inevitable that trade union organisation was the only way to set about forcing improvements. Eventually, the Film Group of the Federation of British Industries, though precluded by their constitution from discussing labour matters, agreed to meet A.C.T. We stressed the need for industrial agreements and put as priority the case for Laboratory Agreement. We must have made some impression for, in due course, there emerged the Film Production Employers' Federation with studio and laboratory sections. We started meeting the laboratory group, after our laboratory members, following innumerable meetings, had prepared their demands. It was soon obvious the employers had no intention of making real progress. The Coronation of King George VI fortunately came along at that time and we decided to stop the industry. The employers gave in and we started off on the difficult job of negotiating the 1939 laboratory agreement. We eventually reached agreement, then the employers refused to sign until the studio agreement, discussion on which had not yet commenced, had been completed. We raised hell and in the end, on February 16th, 1939, the document was signed. This was a landmark in our history. It was the first agreement negotiated with any employers' association by A.C.T. and covered fourteen film processing laboratories. To give some idea how bad wages and conditions were at that time, wages rates as low as £2 and £2 5s. Od. per week were agreed and represented increases for chose members concerned. Furthermore, although we established the principle of overtime payments, these were on a weekly and not a guaranteed daily basis. The principle of extra payment for night work was also agreed but the rate was only an extra 1/ per shift. On the other hand, two weeks' holiday with pay was agreed, together with payments during periods of sickness. However, the most important points arising from these negotiations were that we did achieve Trade Union recognition and signed a National Agreement which set out minimum rates and conditions for film laboratory workers. Arbitration Award Number 758 In due course, we sought to terminate this agreement and negotiate a better one, but in the meantime, the Employers' Association had disbanded and although the agreement was still binding — thanks to the fair wages clause which Labour M.P.s and Peers had succeeded in having incorporated in the Cinematograph Films Act, we could find no authoritative (Continued on page 272)