A petition calling on the UK government to financially support TV and film crew unable to work due to the strikes has amassed nearly 25,000 signatures.
The petition urges the creation of an “Income Replacement Scheme” which would provide support to those on struck projects who have lost work. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, UK law requires that it be debated in parliament.
“We want the government to do more to support UK TV and film crew who are unable to work due to the strikes by actors and writers,” says the petition, which was created by Laura Evans. “The UK freelance crew who work on these projects need financial support and reassurance from the government that they will not abandon the crew during this crisis.”
The majority of UK projects are contracted under UK union Equity and have been able to push on but some, including the likes of Apple TV+’s Silo and Rami Malek-starring movie Amateur, have had to pause. No BBC projects have been impacted, according to the corporation’s Drama Director Lindsay Salt, who nonetheless acknowledged the “ripple effect on the global market” at today’s Edinburgh TV Festival.
British Equity and the Writers Guild of Great Britian have thrown their weight behind the U.S. union’s plight over the past months and Equity boss Paul Fleming said earlier this week his union will not tolerate jobs being offered to UK talent if they have previously been turned down by U.S. actors. On the same call, SAG chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland acknowledged the “significant economic consequences” around the world created by the strikes.
The strikes have coincided with a downturn in commissioning opportunities due to the economic crisis and both topics dominated chatter at Edinburgh, with Universal’s Pearlena Igbokwe saying earlier today there is determination from all sides to find an “equitable” solution, although a deal for both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA feels far from close.