If you want your employer and other facilities to follow suit with recognising and paying overtime, then please add your voice to this petition and then share with your colleagues. Responses to this petition will be anonymous and not shared with any employer.
We are gathering signatures in support of paid overtime at the UK’s Animation and VFX facilities. Once we have collected these signatures, we will be presenting this petition to the facilities.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: https://bectu.org.uk/news/avu-launches-new-ethical-animation-and-vfx-charter/
29 March 2021
The Animation and VFX Union (AVU) – powered by BECTU – are excited to announce the launch of their Ethical Animation & VFX Charter.
Close to 12 months ago, our sector faced extraordinary upheaval when Animation and VFX employers cut through their workforce behind the smokescreen of Covid-19.
Since then, the AVU has created an Ethical Animation and VFX Charter to outline the issues that need addressing to improve our industry. The aim is to get employers and other industry bodies to sign up to the goals in the charter. These goals cover fair pay, social justice and sustainability, respect and protections for workers in this industry.
Joe Pavlo, the Chair of the AVU Branch of Bectu said:
“The VFX and Animation industries are full of creative, tech-savvy professionals, who love their craft. It is an exciting, fast-moving industry, but – sometimes – it also has features that are not found in industries that are sustainable and fair towards their workers.
“This Charter outlines our goals as a union and what we feel needs addressing. We want to work with employers to improve our industry. We believe that there is nothing in here that any good employer would not sign up to, and it is something that the majority of workers in our industry can get behind.”
The AVU will work with employers and other industry bodies to sign up to this basic charter. Where necessary, our union will encourage workers in the industry to stick together to achieve these aims.
For further enquiries, please contact animvfxunion@gmail.com
Download the Charter.
Building and growing a union isn't easy, in fact, there are times it can wear us all out. When it feels like it's all a bit much, then that's about the time we all need to find a little inspiration to keep that fire lit. What better way to find that inspiration than in the medium we all know and love: Cinema! These are ten wonderful movies - old and new - with stories that revolve around things like political activism and unionisation. The way these films tell their stories is unique and powerful. They may be, for the most part, light on visual effects but they are most definitely heavy on inspiration!How many have you seen? Do you think we've missed any that should be in our list?
Director: Sarah GavronWriter: Abi MorganIn 1912 London, a young working mother is galvanized into radical political activism supporting the right for women to vote, and is willing to meet violence with violence to achieve this end.
Director: Martin RittWriter: Walter BernsteinIn 1953, a cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
Director: John BoultingWriters: Alan Hackney (novel), Frank Harvey (screenplay)A naive aristocrat in search of a career becomes caught up in the struggles between his profit-minded uncle and an aggressive labour union.
Director: Nigel ColeWriter: William IvoryA dramatisation of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination.
Director: Ken LoachWriter: Paul Laverty (screenplay)Two Latina sisters work as cleaners in a downtown office building, and fight for the right to unionise.
Director: Michael MooreWriter: Michael MooreDirector Michael Moore pursues GM CEO Roger B. Smith to confront him about the harm he did to Flint, Michigan with his massive downsizing.
Director: Matthew WarchusWriter: Stephen Beresford (screenplay by)U.K. gay activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.
Director: Martin RittWriters: Irving Ravetch (screenplay), Harriet Frank Jr. (screenplay)A young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.
Director: Mark HermanWriter: Mark HermanThe coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.
Director: Jay RoachWriters: John McNamara, Bruce Cook (book)In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. Feeling inspired now? Join the VFX Union today!
The vfxAssemble campaign finished on 10th November and we’d like to give a big shout out to all those who took part in it. Thanks to all of you out there who believed in it!Also, a very special thanks to everyone in the VFX branch committee, our VFX branch chair Joe Pavlo, and the BECTU Branch rep Paul Evans and everyone else who worked on vfxAssemble for their tireless efforts to make our industry a better place for every one of us.While we didn’t reach 50% membership at any of the four big London VFX facilities: (Double Negative, Framestore, ILM and MPC), hundreds and hundreds of you did believe in a better vfx industry and did sign up for vfxAssemble.
Because of all of you, vfxAssemble has started conversations and raised awareness and we are now a stronger VFX union than before. The VFX branch of BECTU is now the biggest and most active visual effects union anywhere in the world!Building a movement isn’t easy and it doesn’t happen overnight and it certainly takes a lot of work. We’re hoping that a whole bunch of you that got inspired by the vfxAssemble campaign will join the union now and become active in helping to grow this movement.Even when the progress is in small steps, it’s plain for all to see that what we are doing is moving things forward, changing attitudes and changing our industry for the better. One movement at a time, one campaign at a time, we are creating a space for the VFX union.
What we who have joined the union envisage in the not too distant future is an industry where VFX workers don’t have to lead unsociable and unhealthy lives. Where women working in the industry are not victims of geek sexism and an equal voice and equal pay isn’t left to chance. Where a juniors pay doesn’t average out to below the living wage because of unlimited unpaid overtime. Where film credits are guaranteed for those who work on the visual effects. Where more experienced artists do not have to fear being singled out and blacklisted for wanting a better and fairer industry. Where vfx workers can feel confident that their skills and experience are valued by the London visual effects industry. Where they can all feel that the industry they work for is also working for them.
The revolutionary vfxAssemble crowdsourcing model for union recruitment has been a huge leap forward for unionisation in our industry. We think the idea that people can pledge to join the union without signing up until enough of their colleagues pledge to join too is a brilliant strategy and we are going to keep working at it and refining it until we are successful. The light bulb is a great idea In fact, it's become symbolic of all great ideas, but Thomas Edison made a lot of light bulbs that didn't work before he got it right. We're going to keep working at this until we get it right too! Help us make it even better next time around by taking the survey.We don't know how long it will take but full unionisation of visual effects is inevitable. The truth is, in the short time that the VFX union has been active we have seen marked improvements in the workplace and the London VFX industry has never been busier. There’s no need to fear unionisation. We are already making things better and it will be only be a matter of time before VFX workers across London collectively choose to assemble a majority to take our industry to the next level and help make it better and stronger for everyone.Until then, and beyond, it’s never too late to sign up!
Will London VFX workers be able to take their destiny into their own hands?Soon we will find out. Tonight is the deadline to sign up for vfxAssemble.comIf we succeed, you can rest assured that at least 50% of your colleagues at Industrial Light & Magic, Double Negative, Framestore and MPC will be fellow union members.This would mark the beginning of a new era for London VFX. Together, we would have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix the many problems that afflict our industry. We would be able to look after each other and help out fellow colleagues who are less fortunate than us.If we fail, companies bosses across Soho will cheer, as they will be able to continue doing business without taking the wellbeing of their workforce into account.This will mean more one-week notice periods, more bare minimum redundancy pay, more juniors earning below the national minimum wage when you factor in overtime, more seven-figure earnings for managing directors and CEOs, more shutting down of departments in the pursuit of cheaper labour. More of the same.Most of us VFX workers are on short term contracts. We all have rent or mortgages to pay. Some of us have families to support. Our fears of being exposed as union members and singled out are legitimate and real. Our fears of being unable to find employment or watch helpless as all the work moves to cheaper labour markets are understandable. But it won't be by turning a blind eye to these problems, or keeping to oneselves, that we will have a chance to fix them.Today is the day. Sign up now.
We will be talking about vfxAssemble and answering your questions live on Facebook on Monday, 23rd October from 21:00 GMT.
www.facebook.com/VFXunionUK/
vfxAssemble is a way to realise the vfx union we’ve always wanted. Here’s how it works: You pledge to join the union, but you pay nothing and no one’s membership is made active unless we achieve over 50% of the vfx workforce by the deadline. It’s a sort of Kickstarter/crowdsourcing thing. It’s anonymous, it’s risk free and we will only charge you if we are successful in achieving our numbers.
Don’t wait - join today at vfxAssemble.com!
Last week we launched vfxAssemble, a new call for unionisation in the London VFX industry. It's designed so that you won't have to commit to anything until over 50% of the London VFX workforce is unionised.
Because it will allow you to have an elected representative inside your workplace, so that if you feel you are being treated unfairly, harassed or made suddenly redundant, you will actually be able to do something about it.Have you ever had to work unreasonable hours for months on end to meet unreasonable client demands? Have you ever been worried that if you don't do that you won't last long in the industry? Are your children growing up without you because you are always at work? Are you not able to start a family because of your job? Have you witnessed or experienced first-hand discrimination, sexism or bullying? Are you worried that the work will move elsewhere and you will be forced to relocate to another continent? Is your physical and mental health suffering as a result of your job?Whatever your worries might be, there is not a single instance where you wouldn't benefit from being part of a collective voice.
November 10th is the deadline to sign up. If we don't meet our goal by then you won't be a member, you won't be charged anything, and London VFX will remain an industry of mostly isolated migrant workers at the mercy of company bosses, tax breaks and weak employment laws.vfxAssemble is a campaign put together by volunteer VFX workers in their very little spare time. The website might not be sleek, and we don't have the budget for marketing and advertising. But we want to be part of a better industry, and we think vfxAssemble is the last chance we've got to achieve that.Now it's up to YOU! Two things happening right away that you can participate in to find out more:
First, there is a big BECTU meeting tonight called "Eyes Half Shut" where we will talk about vfxAssemble, A new research report into long hours in film production followed up with a discussion on Brexit and how it impacts our industry. It's free to attend and all are welcomeWed 18 October 2017, 19:30 – 21:00 BST - Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street, London, W1C 2DJ
Second, there is a Facebook Live session on Monday, 23rd October at 9:00 pm where we will talk about vfxAssemble and you can ask questions live.
We hope to see you there.
