Support the Picturehouse Four– Trade Union/Labour Party branch motion

This branch notes:
1. That BECTU (part of Prospect) members at Picturehouse Central, the Ritzy, Brighton Duke of Yorks, Hackney Picturehouse, Crouch End Picturehouse and East Dulwich Picturehouse, are in dispute for the London Living Wage, sick pay for all, maternity/paternity/adoption pay, and pay rises for supervisors, managers, chefs and technical staff. BECTU members at the sites except the Ritzy are asking for union recognition.
2. That in 2014 workers at the Ritzy struck for 13 days and succeeded in raising their wage to £9.10ph (a 26% rise).
3. That four trade union reps at Picturehouse have been sacked by the employer.
4. That sacking trade union reps in the middle of a dispute is alarming and intolerable.
5. That Picturehouse is owned by Cineworld, which made £83.8 million profit in 2015, while the Picturehouse CEO was paid £1.2 million.
6. That the strikers are seeking to extend the dispute to other Picturehouse cinemas.
7. That they have called a boycott of both Picturehouse and Cineworld cinemas as part of the campaign.
8. That they have received support from a wide range of Labour politicians including Sadiq Khan and John McDonnell.

This branch resolves:
1. To send a message of solidarity to striking BECTU members in Picturehouse.
2. To send a donation of £… and also hold a collection in this meeting for the sacked reps, and a donation of £… for the strike fund
3. To mobilise support for future picket lines and protests.
4. To promote the boycott of Picturehouse and Cineworld among members and publicly.
5. To invite a speaker.

Picturehouse strike – Student union motion

Notes
1. That workers at the Picturehouse cinema chain are engaged in a campaign to win the Living Wage, union recognition, maternity and paternity pay, sick pay and other rights, and have taken numerous days of strike action in the last six months. The strike is spreading, beginning at one cinema and now taking place at six.
2. That Picturehouse, whose CEO is paid £1.2 million, is owned by Cineworld, which made £83.3 million in profits in 2015.
3. That the strikers are calling for a boycott of the companies as part of their campaign, and that NUS has called for student unions to deny them access to freshers’ fairs and other marketing opportunities.

Believes
1. That this is an inspiring example of low paid, precarious, private sector workers – a majority of them women and many of them migrants – organising and taking action to improve their rights. More such struggles are much needed.

Resolves
1. To support the Picturehouse strikers and send them a public message (and publish it on our website).
2. To write to Picturehouse and Cineworld telling them they will not be allowed to come to our freshers’ fair or have other dealings with our SU until the dispute is over.
3. To encourage our members to support the workers’ campaign.