British Equity has instructed its members not to accept work on television ads after Sept. 26. The union is also fighting with theatrical management about actors' fees in commercial regional theatres.
Regarding the TV commercial issue, union spokesman Martin Brown said, "This is the most serious dispute to hit TV advertising since commercial television began in the UK in 1955."
The cause of the rift, claims Equity, is the abandonment by advertising agencies of a 1991 agreement which fixed the fees and residuals of voice-over artists and singers. Since April, advertisers have demanded non-negotiable session fees with no overtime payments, plus reduced residuals for both domestic and overseas use.
Although top voice-over artists would continue to command high fees, "people with less bargaining power" would be forced to accept a pay cut of two-thirds, says Brown. At a meeting at the Albery Theatre on Sept. 5, 400 Equity members were told that advertisers have refused to meet with Equity management for five months.
Members voted overwhelmingly to boycott all TV commercial work, whether on or off camera. The motion was ratified Sept. 16. "We didn't want to do it, but there was no other option," stated Brown.
In the short term, advertisers may choose to extend existing commercial campaigns or use what Brown calls "amateurs," i.e., a growing minority of actors who are not Equity members. Ultimately, however, a settlement may be reached in order to maximize the lucrative Christmas market.
Meanwhile, a separate dispute is raging between British Equity and the Theatrical Management Association (TMA) over the minimum fee paid to members in commercial regional theatres. On Sept. 2, Equity instructed members not to sign contracts requiring them to work after April 6, 1998.
Earlier this year, Equity won a new pay deal for members working in the subsidized sector. The union now wants parity for performers and stage management in commercial theatres. The TMA is furious that Equity has taken action before talks have begun. "In my experience this is an unprecedented move by a trade union," the TMA's industrial of