News

Ken Loach, director and trade unionist of sixty years, has had his decision-making privileges as member of Bectu’s Writers, Producers & Directors branch committee revoked. More below:

There’s a headline we didn’t think we’d be writing today.

Ken Loach, the outspoken filmmaker best-known for social dramas such as Kes, The Wind That Shakes The Barley and this year’s The Old Oak, has been suspended from UK film and TV union Bectu over internal divisions with parent union, Prospect.

According to Deadline, Loach was suspended along with two other Bectu members, while another six were issued with disciplinary measures.

The group say they are being punished over a technicality surrounding the resignation of a representative from within the branch, who previously critiqued the leadership of Prospect chief Mike Clancy.

Prospect said the individuals involved broke union rules, and that there was evidence bullying and discrimination had taken place.

Exclusive: British director Ken Loach has been suspended from holding a decision-making role at Bectu amid simmering internal tensions at the UK’s biggest film and TV union.

Loach, who has made films including Kes and The Wind That Shakes the Barley, has been ousted from Bectu’s Writers, Producers & Directors branch committee after a 60-year association with the union. Two others were also suspended and six more members faced disciplinary measures.

Those involved said they were punished because of a technicality over the way the branch oversaw the resignation of a representative, who wrote a letter raising questions about the leadership of Mike Clancy, the boss of Bectu’s parent union Prospect.

Prospect argued that the individuals concerned broke union rules and it said there was evidence of bullying and discrimination. Loach and others disciplined strongly denied bullying and discrimination and claimed that Prospect had not produced evidence to support its allegation.

German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 has acquired U.S. online dating service eHarmony. The company, which owns 11 production companies in the States including Married At First Sight producer Kinetic Content and The Circus producer Left/Right, has acquired the dating service via its NuCom Group, which owns German online matchmaking platform Parship Elite Group. eHarmony CEO Grant Langston will continue to manage the business with the Peg management joining the Supervisory Board. Max Conze, CEO ProSiebenSat.1 Media, said, “Creating growth and leveraging synergies are key elements of our strategy. This acquisition is an excellent fit. Bringing these two strong brands together will immediately create a world leading online matchmaking company.” Langston added, “By bringing together our well-known, like-minded companies, we have the resources and shared knowledge to compete and achieve growth together in the online matchmaking market with a laser focus on creating long-lasting, meaningful relationships,” Langston said.

Sky Italia...

Gerry Morrissey to step down after a decade as head of broadcasting union.

Bectu has appointed its first female head to succeed Gerry Morrissey, who is stepping down after more than 10 years at the helm of the broadcasting union.

Philippa Childs, a former national secretary at parent trade union Prospect, will oversee Bectu’s five divisions: BBC, London production, regional production, independent broadcasting and arts and entertainment.

She takes up the role after Union Week concludes in mid-November.

“It’s a huge honour to be head of Bectu, and I’m proud to be the first woman to hold the position,...

UK entertainment union Bectu is planning a “series of strikes and demonstrations” during this year’s BFI London Film Festival due to an on-going pay dispute with with art-house cinema chain Picturehouse.

Bectu head Gerry Morrissey wrote to BFI CEO Amanda Nevill last week to inform her of the plans. He also called on the festival not to screen films at the Cineworld-owned Picturehouse venues. The union tweeted a copy of the letter today.

News: BFI urged to stop using Picturehouse venues during #Lff https://t.co/ndNRask9rC pic.twitter.com/s7UiXQPwRO

— Bectu (@bectu) July 30, 2018

Last year, two Picturehouse venues were used by the festival: Picturehouse Central and Hackney Picturehouse.

This is a decade-long battle between Bectu and Picturehouse. There have already been a number of strikes by unionised Picturehouse workers over the pay dispute and there was a red carpet demo at the beginning of last year’s Lff.

British entertainment business union Bectu has claimed a partial victory in an ongoing industrial dispute with Picturehouse Cinemas, Britain’s largest arthouse theater chain.

An employment tribunal has found that two of the union’s representatives at Picturehouse’s Ritzy cinema in London were unfairly dismissed in June 2017.

The tribunal ruled against the union’s claim that the dismissals were due to the employer’s victimization of the reps for their trade union activities.

The reps were dismissed after an email was sent to staff by the union threatening the use of “cyber-picketing,” which is potentially unlawful activity.

The tribunal said Picturehouse had shown “a lack of neutrality” when investigating the matter, and had failed “to properly engage with the nature of the claimants’ defense.” It concluded that “the penalties applied to both claimants were outside the band of reasonable responses.”

The case is part of a long-running industrial dispute...