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Brixton Ritzy staff in pay dispute for London Living Wage with Picturehouse Cinemas

I've chosen to boycott.

I also have decided that the cost to see a film is more than I am willing to pay.
 
editor said:
That cinema has long, long been unaffordable to me. Picturehouse are taking the piss with their pricing.
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Yes, but I didn't ask about you, did I? I asked about what you thought I should do.

I found a link on their facebook page which send me to a 2014 Tumblr post - relevant extract here:

"Now, we need your help to convince them and to show them that our customers support our struggle so PLEASE:

• DON’T CROSS OUR PICKET LINES!! On Strike days don’t go the The Ritzy, though by all means come and show your support to us outside.

• Follow us on Twitter: @RitzyLivingWage

• Retweet the tweet or share the status you followed here and share this page.

• Tweet about us regularly, mentioning @picturehouses to let your followers know you support us

• ‘Like’ us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RitzyLivingWage

• Post positive messages of support for our campaign on the Picturehouse Cinemas Facebook Page (not the Ritzy one, as it gets read by our colleagues who are already BECTU members and support us)

• Post statuses on Facebook supporting us and use the 'mention’ feature to mention us and Picturehouse Cinemas (you may need to 'like’ both pages first).

• Email positive messages supporting our campaign to lyn.g@picturehouses.co.uk & alastair.o@picturehouses.co.uk and corporate@cineworld.co.uk and do please cc us too at ritzylivingwage@gmail.com

• Tell your friends (both Facebook and real life) about our campaign, especially Ritzy customers and locals, and do so regularly."



Basically I can't do much then as I don't use twitter, FB etc. Doesn't seem to ask for a full boycott, as Winot suggested

I have however, just emailed them - so I'll report back when I get a reply
SB
 
editor said:
Once again, I felt it hard not to be disappointed by the lack of support from Brixtonites.
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sparkybird said:
OK, so can you tell me please exactly what you want us to do to support this?

????
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I'm not sure what editor wants Brixtonites to do either, I've no idea why we are so disappointing. You have a good point Sparkybird I don't do social media either - so not crossing picket lines and generally wishing them well is it.

I don't intend to do anything else, unless they were staging a more general demand for genuine living wage for other or all employees.
 
I am a union rep and have been on strike several times and to be honest I don't expect that much from the general public. I certainly don't want them to boycott my employer! It's nice to get positive comments/supportive remarks but that's not going to win the battle anyway. Last time we went to the Ritzy we wished them well with their strike action which seemed to go down well.
 
friendofdorothy said:
I don't intend to do anything else, unless they were staging a more general demand for genuine living wage for other or all employees.
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I didn't realise that those striking had to ensure that their demands and campaigns now explicitly included everything and everybody. So much for automatic solidarity from other workers.
 
friendofdorothy said:
I'm not sure what editor wants Brixtonites to do either, I've no idea why we are so disappointing.
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You really can't work our why I might be disappointed by the minuscule number of people coming out to support the striking workers? I'd like the strikers to get more support from the community. I was disappointed that barely anyone turned up.
 
CH1 said:
I think you should try the Plex. The price is good and the spit and sawdust ambience of the foyer reminded me of the Rusholme Trocadero c. 1972
View attachment 95150
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there's this lovely cinema in burnham on crouch

RioCinema_120312-6399.jpg
 
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stethoscope said:
I didn't realise that those striking had to ensure that their demands and campaigns now explicitly included everything and everybody. So much for automatic solidarity from other workers.
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No they don't. I do support Ritzy employees. read up thread for my full views on this.

I don't think every union/ employee protest/picket line ever did require extensive public presence? nice if they get it, they do deserve support - as do junior doctors, southern train employees and others. I was questioning why the scolding remarks from Ed here - uncalled for here I thought.
 
friendofdorothy said:
No they don't. I do support Ritzy employees. read up thread for my full views on this.

I don't think every union/ employee protest/picket line ever did require extensive public presence? nice if they get it, they do deserve support - as do junior doctors, southern train employees and others. I was questioning why the scolding remarks from Ed here - uncalled for here I thought.
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'Scolding'? What?

I just said I was disappointed with the the tiny show of community support for a high profile, well publicised strike. Barely a soul bothered to show up, so I was indeed disappointed. But that's just me. I believe in trying to make an effort in some way when I can for a cause I believe is worthy of support.

'Scolding', ffs. :rolleyes:
 
editor said:
'Scolding'? What?

I just said I was disappointed with the the tiny show of community support for a high profile, well publicised strike. Barely a soul bothered to show up, so I was indeed disappointed. But that's just me. I believe in trying to make an effort in some way when I can for a cause I believe is worthy of support.

'Scolding', ffs. :rolleyes:
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well that told me ...
 
editor said:
'Scolding'? What?

I just said I was disappointed with the the tiny show of community support for a high profile, well publicised strike. Barely a soul bothered to show up, so I was indeed disappointed. But that's just me. I believe in trying to make an effort in some way when I can for a cause I believe is worthy of support.

'Scolding', ffs. :rolleyes:
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I agree with your sentiment but other elements might likely have been at play. How many Brixtonians could have even been aware of the protest in question in the first place? Unless one is actively following the issue on social media, very few people are likely to have found out. This wasn't a landmark occasion in their struggle. And then a big proportion of those who did might have been at work at the time.

So you are now left with those people who where physically in the area at the time but chose to ignore the protest. What to say about that? Passers-by tend to be quite indifferent to any street protests they might come across in their daily routine, certainly as active participants. Other than a few strollers you'll always going to struggle to get people going about their business to drop their plans and join a protest of that nature.
 
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T & P said:
I agree with your sentiment but other elements might likely have been at play. How many Brixtonians could have even been aware of the protest in question in the first place? Unless one is actively following the issue on social media, very few people are likely to have found out. This wasn't a landmark occasion in their struggle. And then a big proportion of those who did might have been at work at the time
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The various posts on Buzz leading up to their strikes have been read many, many thousands of times and all of their strikes have widely been advertised on social media.

If you have any interest at all in their struggle it really doesn't take too much effort to find out when their strikes are happening, but no one is going to spoonfeed you the info.

Living Wage for Ritzy Staff – Facebook page
 
See a lot of Ritzy staff are on zero hours contracts. So strike is also about conditions of work not just pay. Such as sick pay.

Zero hours, temporary contracts, so called "self employment" are becoming the norm in many working class jobs.

What employers want , in this country anyway, is a "flexible" labour force they can hire and lay off when they want.

Another Evening Standard article by Anthony Hilton points out the difference between this country and Germany.

Hilton: Tougher labour laws are key to upping productivity

Stating the obvious but its something employers and business in this country are against. Of course one does not need tougher labour laws. What one needs is employers who arent just out to make a profit out of there workforce and shaft them when they want. Not part of business culture here.

My other read is CityAM paper- the voice of the scum in the City. They are the neo liberal libertarians that Hilton is criticising. City AM is worth a read now and again for why the City is shit.
 
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Gramsci said:
My other read is CityAM paper- the voice of the scum in the City. They are the neo liberal libertarians that Hilton is criticising. City AM is worth a read now and again for why the City is shit.
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They are not uniformly ultra-right. And they sometimes have a sense of humour:
Spooks Direct.jpg
 
CH1 said:
They are not uniformly ultra-right. And they sometimes have a sense of humour:
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All the articles I have read are against any government intervention in the market. Oppose Keynesian economics for that reason. See market as able to solve all problems. Usual argument from them is that if only a more pure free market was encouraged then all would be well. They oppose living wage for that reason. There argument being that there is a cost of living issue. That it is not about wages. That if there was a more "efficient" market in goods and services prices would drop.

Ashley is an easy target. But is a symptom not the underlying cause.

There views are standard in the City. Why its a revealing read at times.
 
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Gramsci said:
All the articles I have read are against any government intervention in the market. Oppose Keynesian economics for that reason. See market as able to solve all problems. Usual argument from them is that if only a more pure free market was encouraged then all would be well. They oppose living wage for that reason. There views are standard in the City. Why its a revealing read at times.
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I suppose it depends what you are looking for.

Today there was an article by Guy Hands saying that Trump must use his business experience of compromise not confrontation or he would get nowhere.

Also there was a snippet from the Lib Dem candidate in Richmond Park by-election on the need for MPs to approve the final Brexit deal.

Earlier in the week there was something from Vicky Price on economics post the Trump election (I consider her liberal but I guess she could be construed as a neo-con?)
 
CH1 said:
Today there was an article by Guy Hands saying that Trump must use his business experience of compromise not confrontation or he would get nowhere.
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Thats because they see Trump as a dangerous populist who might be a protectionist economically. That is he may keep to his promise of sticking up for the blue collar Americans and not business as usual with the Clintons "Free Trade". ie stuffing the workers- is a CityAM standard line.

Heard two blue collar Americans from the "Rustbelt" saying they voted Obama and he let them down. Obama promised to reform NAFTA and never did. So they both decided to give Trump a chance as he said he would get rid / reform it.
 
Gramsci said:
Another Evening Standard article by Anthony Hilton points out the difference between this country and Germany.
Hilton: Tougher labour laws are key to upping productivity
My other read is CityAM paper- the voice of the scum in the City. They are the neo liberal libertarians that Hilton is criticising. City AM is worth a read now and again for why the City is shit.
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Not totally relevant to the subject of the thread - but out of general interest Anthony Hilton was on George Galloway's Sputnik programme on RT today.

I think it's on again at 11.30 pm for anyone interested and not out on the town.
 
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