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Why we should join forces with Ritzy cinema staff against poverty pay Why we should join forces with Ritzy cinema staff against poverty pay
(35 minutes later)
The Ritzy cinema in Brixton, south London is still showing Pride, a film that showcases solidarity and workers fighting back against injustice. Both ironic and perverse, then, that the cinema’s owners seem determined to be treating the Thatcher government as a role model in dealing with their own workers. Struggling employees at the cinema have been waging a courageous long-running struggle for the London living wage of £8.80 an hour. The principle is straightforward: those who keep the cinema running should be paid a wage that they are able to live on. The cinema bosses seemed to give in, granting workers their modest demand. But then came the catch – or, rather, an all-out attack: 20 out of the 93 workers would lose their jobs, and others would be forced to reapply for their jobs. The Ritzy cinema in Brixton, south London is still showing Pride, a film that showcases solidarity and workers fighting back against injustice. Both ironic and perverse, then, that the cinema’s owners seem determined to be treating the Thatcher government as a role model in dealing with their own workers. Hard-pressed employees at the cinema have been waging a courageous long-running struggle for the London living wage of £8.80 an hour. The principle is straightforward: those who keep the cinema running should be paid a wage that they are able to live on. The cinema bosses seemed to give in, granting workers their modest demand. But then came the catch – or, rather, an all-out attack: 20 out of the 93 workers would lose their jobs, and others would be forced to reapply for their jobs.
The bosses are Picturehouse, who operate arty cinemas across the country appealing to progressive audiences showing films with an interest in social issues and causes; they in turn are owned by Cineworld, one of the biggest cinema giants in Europe. Having appointed what employees regard as a union-buster, their aim seems quite clear. Already workers at Picturehouse cinemas in Clapham and Brighton – inspired by the example of the Ritzy – had been organising to gain union recognition. But cinema bosses want to make an example of the Ritzy. The message appears transparent: if you fight for a living wage and workers’ rights, then you face the sack. Or we will crush you if you dare to stand up for yourselves. Ritzy workers are now balloting on strike action, and redundancy notices are to be handed on 23 November.The bosses are Picturehouse, who operate arty cinemas across the country appealing to progressive audiences showing films with an interest in social issues and causes; they in turn are owned by Cineworld, one of the biggest cinema giants in Europe. Having appointed what employees regard as a union-buster, their aim seems quite clear. Already workers at Picturehouse cinemas in Clapham and Brighton – inspired by the example of the Ritzy – had been organising to gain union recognition. But cinema bosses want to make an example of the Ritzy. The message appears transparent: if you fight for a living wage and workers’ rights, then you face the sack. Or we will crush you if you dare to stand up for yourselves. Ritzy workers are now balloting on strike action, and redundancy notices are to be handed on 23 November.
We live in a country in which workers are suffering the largest fall in their pay packets since the Victorian era. Here is a high-profile struggle to try and do something about it. If it is smashed, it will discourage other workers from attempting to fight for a decent wage they can live on, and will embolden other poverty-paying employers. Already, there is a boycott of the Ritzy in place: Will Self is the latest to endorse it. We should surely refuse to give Picturehouse cinemas our custom until they start treating their workers like human beings. A customer-led protest outside the Ritzy is being mooted. Bombard Picturehouse headquarters with support for workers (contact details here), and use social media to publicly shame the company (their twitter handle is @picturehouses).We live in a country in which workers are suffering the largest fall in their pay packets since the Victorian era. Here is a high-profile struggle to try and do something about it. If it is smashed, it will discourage other workers from attempting to fight for a decent wage they can live on, and will embolden other poverty-paying employers. Already, there is a boycott of the Ritzy in place: Will Self is the latest to endorse it. We should surely refuse to give Picturehouse cinemas our custom until they start treating their workers like human beings. A customer-led protest outside the Ritzy is being mooted. Bombard Picturehouse headquarters with support for workers (contact details here), and use social media to publicly shame the company (their twitter handle is @picturehouses).
According to the Resolution Foundation, 5.2 million British workers are now trapped in low-paid jobs, a jump of a quarter of a million last year. In our booming, prosperous capital, 640,000 workers are paid less than the London Living Wage; back in 2007, it was 420,000. Even as our politicians pay lip service to the principle of the living wage, it becomes an ever-more distant prospect for millions of British workers.According to the Resolution Foundation, 5.2 million British workers are now trapped in low-paid jobs, a jump of a quarter of a million last year. In our booming, prosperous capital, 640,000 workers are paid less than the London Living Wage; back in 2007, it was 420,000. Even as our politicians pay lip service to the principle of the living wage, it becomes an ever-more distant prospect for millions of British workers.
We all suffer the consequences. Spending on in-work benefits – costing the exchequer billions – goes up. And at the same time, the money flowing into government funds slumps. “Income tax revenues are down because so many of the jobs being created are low-paid”: these were not the words of some pinko-lefty commentator, but of the Conservative writer and activist Tim Montgomerie. Workers fighting for a living wage are fighting to reduce the country’s deficit: their opponents are, if you will, deficit-deniers.We all suffer the consequences. Spending on in-work benefits – costing the exchequer billions – goes up. And at the same time, the money flowing into government funds slumps. “Income tax revenues are down because so many of the jobs being created are low-paid”: these were not the words of some pinko-lefty commentator, but of the Conservative writer and activist Tim Montgomerie. Workers fighting for a living wage are fighting to reduce the country’s deficit: their opponents are, if you will, deficit-deniers.
Of course we need the government to take action. Our national minimum wage – now £6.50 an hour – is a poverty wage, particularly in London. Australia’s minimum wage is $16.87 – or £9.29 – an hour; the likes of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium all have higher minimum wages too. If half-decent wages are good enough for Australians and other Europeans, they are surely good enough for Britons, too.Of course we need the government to take action. Our national minimum wage – now £6.50 an hour – is a poverty wage, particularly in London. Australia’s minimum wage is $16.87 – or £9.29 – an hour; the likes of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium all have higher minimum wages too. If half-decent wages are good enough for Australians and other Europeans, they are surely good enough for Britons, too.
In the meantime, let’s back the courageous, example-setting workers at the Ritzy. To quote a striking miner from Pride: “When you’re in a battle against an enemy so much bigger and stronger than you, to find out you have a friend you never knew existed is the best feeling in the world.” It’s up to all of us who believe in the basic principle of a living wage for all workers to be that friend – and to make sure the Ritzy does not become an icon of unscrupulous bosses everywhere.In the meantime, let’s back the courageous, example-setting workers at the Ritzy. To quote a striking miner from Pride: “When you’re in a battle against an enemy so much bigger and stronger than you, to find out you have a friend you never knew existed is the best feeling in the world.” It’s up to all of us who believe in the basic principle of a living wage for all workers to be that friend – and to make sure the Ritzy does not become an icon of unscrupulous bosses everywhere.