Staff from the Hackney Picturehouse striked on Mare Street on Saturday over the cinema’s refusal to pay them the London living wage. The protesters also demanded that their union was recognized by the company.
According to front-of-house worker Alisdair Cairns, the Picturehouse management refused “even to meet” with trade union representatives. “Everyone deserves a wage that is enough to live on. Regrettably, we have been left with no option but to go on strike.”
Currently, front-of-house picture staff are being paid £8.77 an hour, whereas London living wage is £9.40 – a 6.7% difference.
The Hackney Picturehouse is owned by Cineworld, which declared pre-tax profits as £67.3 million in 2014. When asked, the company declined to comment on the issue.
Workers also state that The Hackney Picturehouse refuses to recognize the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (Bectu) as their legitimate union.
“They have refused on the grounds that they say we have a union in place already which is the Picturehouse Staff Forum, which is a union set-up and entirely funded by Picturehouse themselves”, says Cairns. “We attempted to negotiate through the forum for several years and found it to be undemocratic, unrepresentative and ineffective.”
Staff members of Picturehouses Group cinema the Ritzy in Brixton, who are represented by Bectu, also joined protesters. “Hackney Picturehouse have repeatedly collected signatures to be recognized as represented by Bectu. This has gone to the head office and they have consistently said no”, says Nia Hughes, Bectu’s Branch Secretary at the Ritzy.
According to Cairns, strikers also demand “company sick pay for all staff and company adoption of fair maternity and paternity pay”.
