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

Diverse coverage of the London Film Festival opening:
Channel 8 (London Live) concentrating on the strike at 5 Cineworld cinemas (including the Ritzy) - with interview.
Channel 103 (ITV London) exclusively going on about the stars flying into this magnificent world film festival - with interviews.

Wondering what if anything will come up on BBC London if they can tear themselves away from cough sweet recommendations for Madam May.
 
Brilliant stuff:

Protesters chanted and waved banners at the opening of the BFI London Film Festival as a long-running staff pay dispute with a cinema chain spilled over into red carpet territory.

Around 50 staff of London’s Picturehouse cinemas, owned by Cineworld, have been demanding their pay be brought in line with the 9.75 pounds ($12.85) per hour recommended by the Living Wage Foundation, a campaigning group.


British Hollywood actor Andrew Garfield, known for playing Spider-Man in the Marvel film franchise, spoke out in support of the protesters in a red carpet comment to reporters on Wednesday evening.


“I‘m very, very happy and I wish I could go and bang a drum,” he said.

“They are protesting for a living wage. They are protesting for basic human rights. They are protesting for full and rich lives, and they’re not getting paid enough to create that for themselves,” he said.

Strikes and demonstrations are set to continue throughout the star-studded 12-day film festival, organizing officials from the Bectu media and entertainment union told Reuters.

Ushers will stage walkouts during screenings held at Picturehouse cinemas, and picket lines will call on festival-goers to boycott venues owned by the company.

The wage dispute has been going on for many months, with the cinema chain, known for showing indie and foreign-language films, saying it already pays the London living wage if breaks are taken into account.


“We’re one of the few cinema companies who choose to pay for breaks,” Picturehouse cinemas said in a statement.

“After legal advice, we believe the current strikes would be unlawful and have informed Bectu of our view,” it added.
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Protests disrupt London Film Festival in cinema wage dispute
 
You got there before me Fingers

Still going strong at 7pm.

Btw Fingers and my photos are from Picture House Central. Picturehouse flagship art cinema in West End. Showing London Film festival films. Its the rival to Curzon Soho up the road who do pay Living Wage.20171006_185747.jpg
 
If this is true then do they not already pay the london minimum wage?

How much does Picturehouse pay its staff in London?
Front of house staff at London Picturehouses are paid £9.30 per hour, equivalent to £9.92 per hour when working an 8 hour shift as we choose to pay for breaks. This means staff working an 8 hour shift, are paid for 8 hours but only work 7.5. The equivalent rate for time worked is thus £9.92 per hour.
 
alcopop said:
If this is true then do they not already pay the london minimum wage?

How much does Picturehouse pay its staff in London?
Front of house staff at London Picturehouses are paid £9.30 per hour, equivalent to £9.92 per hour when working an 8 hour shift as we choose to pay for breaks. This means staff working an 8 hour shift, are paid for 8 hours but only work 7.5. The equivalent rate for time worked is thus £9.92 per hour.
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In my view it's deceptive and dishonest of companies to say because you are paid for breaks your hourly pay is higher. When you are at work for 8 hours you should be paid for 8 hours.

Today thousands of people will head into Oxford street area to work in retail. Many won't be paid for breaks. Hard busy work, on your feet all day. You need a break but If they all said we won't take a break and you can close the store at 4:30 rather than 5:00, how many managers would say OK? Not a single one. People are forced to take breaks so should always be paid for them.

Of those same people I wonder how many get a LLW?
 
Mr Retro said:
In my view it's deceptive and dishonest of companies to say because you are paid for breaks your hourly pay is higher. When you are at work for 8 hours you should be paid for 8 hours.

Today thousands of people will head into Oxford street area to work in retail. Many won't be paid for breaks. Hard busy work, on your feet all day. You need a break but If they all said we won't take a break and you can close the store at 4:30 rather than 5:00, how many managers would say OK? Not a single one. People are forced to take breaks so should always be paid for them.

Of those same people I wonder how many get a LLW?
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I am currently out of the loop employment wise but surely the norm in everyday jobs is you get paid for "tea breaks" of 10-15 minutes morning and afternoon but not the "lunch break" of 30 minutes to 1 hour mid-day?

Perhaps the Ritzy are muddying the waters here?

Then there is always they situation where bigwigs are too important to take their lunch break so they can stay tied to their desks wage free as a gesture of bonus-inducing loyalty. Do Ritzy workers get a bonus perchance?
 
CH1 said:
I am currently out of the loop employment wise but surely the norm in everyday jobs is you get paid for "tea breaks" of 10-15 minutes morning and afternoon but not the "lunch break" of 30 minutes to 1 hour mid-day?

Perhaps the Ritzy are muddying the waters here?

Then there is always they situation where bigwigs are too important to take their lunch break so they can stay tied to their desks wage free as a gesture of bonus-inducing loyalty. Do Ritzy workers get a bonus perchance?
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I think that's about correct with breaks and payment but I think it's wrong for the reasons I say.

I doubt many "bigwigs" are on an hourly wage.
 
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Paid tea breaks might be trade specific (and unpaid tea breaks for that matter). I think most office jobs would find the idea of a twice daily tea break odd. In fact, if I said to colleagues "I'm just off to sit in a comfy chair and have a cup of tea for 15 mins", they'd be shocked (as I would if they said it to me).
 
Office jobs are carried out in a comfy chair with a cup of tea by your side, though. That's not the case when you're manning a popcorn booth.
 
Silas Loom said:
Office jobs are carried out in a comfy chair with a cup of tea by your side, though. That's not the case when you're manning a popcorn booth.
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Yes. I think like SpamMisery says it's trade specific. Physical jobs I've worked all had tea breaks, office jobs never. Never organised ones anyway.

When I'm planning a project I generally budget the office people I work withs time for 5 hours a day. I find thats even a little bit ambitious.
 
The dispute isn't only about the Living Wage. It's also about gaining right of Bectu to represent workers at the other sites (Hackney and Picturehouse Central ). Also to gain company sick pay and other benefits for all employees.

At present only Ritzy is officially represented by Bectu.

So I think aim of this strike action and picketing isn't only about Living Wage. It's also about Bectu in long term unionising and getting official recognition as the body that represents the Picture House workers across all Picturehouse cinemas.

I would guess that Cineworld / Picturehouse wouldn't want this. At Hackney mge say they have set up staff group to discuss issues with mge so union is not necessary.

The campaign puts at the forefront the Living Wage but there is more to it than that.
 
alcopop said:
Either I'm being stupid (ps but maybe you are)

But...

  • The London Living Wage is currently £9.75 per hour. This covers all boroughs in Greater London.
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Picture house is paying less. Unless you accept there argument about half hour break.

Also pay rates across Picturehouse cinemas differ. Ritzy workers got pay increase for the Ritzy only.

Curzon cinemas and BFI are accredited Living Wage employers. This is voluntary but more than just paying Living Wage. It means going through accreditatation process with Living Wage Foundation. I think that Bectu want Picturehouse to do this. It commits employer to increase pay when the Living Wage Foundation decides on an increase. So it's long term commitment.
 
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On office jobs versus more physical jobs.

Both can be equally exploitative.

Had friend who got (quite good) office job. They had (officially) a hour lunch break. She found that a lot of people in office worked through it. Eating at there desk as they worked.

She found that and was told that having a "flexible" working attitude went with the job. Showing right kind of "commitment".

She left after a while.

Not all manual jobs get proper breaks. Delivery / passenger car jobs have a lunch is for wimps work culture.



There are sectors of economy where there are "official" positions on breaks etc but the actual practice is somewhat different.
 
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Gramsci said:
On office jobs versus more physical jobs.

Both can be equally exploitative.

Had friend who got (quite good) office job. They had (officially) a hour lunch break. She found that a lot of people in office worked through it. Eating at there desk as they worked.

She found that and was told that having a "flexible" working attitude went with the job. Showing right kind of "commitment".

She left after a while.
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I agree both can be exploitive but your example of your friends office role is so lacking detail it isn't actually saying anything. I can't draw any conclusions from it.
 
Mr Retro said:
I agree both can be exploitive but your example of your friends office role is so lacking detail it isn't actually saying anything. I can't draw any conclusions from it.
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This is open forum. I'm not going to put to many details. And its not the only example I have.

I don't think I m saying as anything that out of the ordinary.

Bosses try to get the most out of those who work for them. I would think that is something posters can agree on.

It's hardly controversial.
 
In general bosses do try to get the most out of those who work for them. That is not the same as being exploitative. They might be exploitative and they might not. You seem to be mixing terminology to make a point.
 
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