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UNI MEI Global Union representing over 140 national unions & guilds affiliating more than 375 000 creators, technicians and other workers in the media and entertainment industries world wide calls on ITV to respect the minimum benefits of US writers represented by the Writers Guild of America East, WGAE.

UNI MEI Global Union joins the WGAE and the AFL-CIO in their demand for ITV to negotiate a fair agreement with its freelance workforce in the United States.
The WGAE is seeking minimum levels of compensation. At least 100 writer-producers work on ITV productions in the United States during the year and they voted to be represented by the WGAE in collective bargaining already three years ago. Since then, ITV has refused a fair settlement making freelance writers-producers work between 50 and 70 hours per week without granting basic benefits such as health benefits and paid time off.

UNI MEI President and BECTU General Secretary, Gerry Morrissey said: “In recent years, things have been reasonably good with ITV in the UK, especially under Adam Crozier’s leadership. I would like to see ITV enter negotiations with the WGAE to come to a fair agreement that brings real compensation and benefits for its US freelance work force. BECTU and all media and entertainment unions affiliated to UNI Global Union strongly support our colleagues of the WGAE in their demands.”

You can do something to support the writers-producers and the WGAE: sign the AFL-CIO petition: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8061