Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have expressed dissatisfaction with a last-minute deal struck yesterday with major Hollywood studios to prevent an industry-wide strike over pay and working conditions.
The deal, yet to be ratified by union members, addressed long-held concerns in the industry over dangerously long working hours and guaranteed a 10-hour rest period between daily shoots, as well as 3% annual wage hikes and improvements in pay.
But many IATSE members planed to vote against ratifying the deal, saying it is still not enough.
“I guess it’s a great start but the problem is this still means they can get away with 14 hour days”, said Ben Ridgwell who has been working as a data wrangler on Mission Impossible 7, a production based in the UK.
“The industry has always been like this, there is always pressure to get the day done and we are often asked to do overtime,” he said.
“When you’re on a job you rarely have time to see friends or family. Some jobs I’ve been on, we’ve done 15-hour days, especially as you get towards the end of production.
“Actors have other jobs to go to, or they’re only contracted to a certain date. It’s often cheaper to work a week of 15-hour days than it is to get the actor for another week.”
Having also worked in the Australian film industry where productions are regulated by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), Ben said many elements of the IATSE deal have existed in Australia for some time, but extreme working hours are still problematic.
“Even with 10-hour turnaround people are still working too long, it’s tiring,” he said.
“Turnaround can be broken. It’s not a hard and fast rule that you must have 10 hours between shifts, if you go into overtime and then start again within 10 hours then production can just pay the broken turnaround.
“It would be nice if it was a little more like general office hours, that way people could see their friends and family and lead a relatively normal life.”
In a recent survey conducted by the MEAA, two in three Australian screen crew workers said they had fallen asleep behind the wheel driving two or from work.
According to over 200 screen professionals surveyed, the top three contributors to this were working days over 12 hours, working back to back weeks for over a month, and long driving times beginning and ending the day.
Kelly Wood, the director of the MEAA’s entertainment, crew and sport sector told Guardian Australia that the Australian film industry’s culture of ”extremely long working hours” had to change.
“It’s really clear from our survey, that it’s not just about the data; it’s the stories that people are telling about their experiences working on productions. It’s clear that these hours are not sustainable – they’re not healthy and they’re not safe for people,” she said.
The MEAA did not respond when asked for further comment on this story.
Director of MEAA’s entertainment, crew and sport sector Kelly Wood says the Australian film industry’s culture of “extremely long working hours” must change.
Pete Whelan 