The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) joined writers and other media and entertainment workers around the world on Wednesday for Screenwriters Everywhere, a global day of solidarity with striking Hollywood writers. Organized in central London, the protest aimed to “support the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East” who have been on strike since May 2nd.
The WGGB union, which represents writers for television, film, theatre, audio, books, poetry, comedy, animation and video games, said its members would meet in London’s Leicester Square from around 1pm local time, with the meeting place laden with symbolism : a statue of William Shakespeare in the square. WGGB President Sandi Toksvig, known as a book author and former moderator of The Great British Bake Offamong others, and WGGB chairwoman Lisa Holdsworth (A discovery of the witches, Call the midwife) along with other writers like Jack Thorne (His dark materials, Enola Holmes), Russell T Davies (Doctor Who, Queer as FolkSimon BeaufoyThe Full Monty) and Dennis Kelly (Together utopia).
Members of the other Federation of Entertainment Unions, including Equity, Bectu, the Musicians’ Union and the NUJ, as well as WGA members in the UK should also join.
Similar actions were also planned in more than 20 countries, including the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, the Filmoteca de Catalunya and Valenciana in Spain, the Netflix office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at Apple and Amazon locations in Canada, and at the Tel Aviv Central Library in Israel. To show their presence on Twitter, the organizers used the hashtag #ScreenwritersEverywhere.
“I’m proud to take to the streets today alongside my WGGB colleagues and others from across the industry to send a loud message of solidarity to our striking colleagues across the US,” Holdsworth said ahead of Action on one the busiest squares in London. “We also believe in better pay and working conditions for creators, improved payments on streaming services, protections against free labor, and safeguards around artificial intelligence to protect compensation and creative rights.”
She also attacked Hollywood giants. “Media corporations make billions in profits but refuse to share them with writers and other creatives,” Holdsworth said. “I want them to see the surge of collective action across the globe today and know that we all stand united.”
Toksvig emphasized on Wednesday: “It all starts with the writer and we must ensure that those who benefit from the writers’ creative brilliance share those profits with the writers so that they can be paid fairly, enjoy fair working conditions and be treated.” dignity and respect.”
She concluded: “On this global day of solidarity, I would like to join my fellow unionists in the UK in sending this message to screenwriters across the Atlantic – we listen to you, we support you and we stand with you.”
The WGGB advises its members not to work on new projects within the WGA’s jurisdiction during the strike.
The WGA last month began its first strike in 15 years as it failed to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on hot topics such as viewer-based residuals, the use and regulation of artificial intelligence and minimum standards for staffing for writers’ rooms .
The costs of a possible new labor agreement are disputed by both sides. The WGA said it asked for a $429 million raise and claims the AMPTP offered $86 million, nearly half of which would come from a minimum raise. The AMPTP shared a different view, claiming the value of their proposals on wage floors alone was about $97 million a year, not $41 million a year.
The WGA has focused on shutting down ongoing production, relying on collaboration with other unions in the workplace. This strategy is in sharp contrast to its previous strike in 2007 and 2008, when it found itself far more isolated and at odds with its nominal union allies and had no equivalent strategy.
