Our first film together was Hot Fuzz; our last may prove to be, of all things, Kong: Skull Island. In April, after 121 months and 372 films (give or take), I shall cancel my Cineworld Unlimited Card in support of a boycott of Picturehouse and its owner, Cineworld, by my trade union, Bectu.
Bectu has taken this action because in spite of years of patient negotiation, Cineworld still refuses to pay its Picturehouse staff the living wage and because it refuses to afford them union recognition. Among the growing roll call of luminaries backing the boycott are Patrick Stewart, Susan Sarandon, Ken Loach, Michael Palin and Mark Cousins. Since we can’t be certain that adding O.S.S.’s names to that pile will tip the balance, we hope you’ll take the time to follow the links below and think hard about pledging support.
Picture House Living Wage Campaign Website
News Article from the Bectu Website on their Union Support
News Coverage from The Guardian on the Latest Developments of the Dispute
One Sensational Shot loves cinema and loves going to the cinema. We pay for our pictures, we pay for our home video and we pay for our streaming because we want to support the people who make the films we love. We won’t support a company that so resolutely refuses to support its workers.
A luta continua