The Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has sent guidance to its striking members, reminding them not to appear on US shows while on strike. The Guild has issued a statement to the press outlining guidelines for members and the situation with UK writers and expressing solidarity with the WGA. WGGB members have already been told they will be removed from the guild if they accept a job in the WGA’s legal field during the strike.
In its guidance, the WGGB said that if an author chooses to break his rank during a strike called this morning to work for US players, the WGA will “bar the author from future guild membership.” It drew the attention of the authors to the fact that
An article written in Deadline writes about the strike mentioned by WGGB. “This policy has been strictly enforced in the past and has resulted in convincing many would-be strikebreakers to refrain from harming the Guild and its members during a strike,” said the WGGB.
The WGGB pointed out that WGA members are being encouraged to report to their Guild “the name of any non-member whom you believe has performed writing services for a struck company and as much information as possible about the non-member’s services.”
UK WGGB writers who accept work for WGA projects and violate WGGB policy are considered “crossing the picket line” and blacklisted. Several have indicated their refusal to Deadline over several weeks.
WGA and WGGB members can continue operating under today’s guidelines if the project is under WGGB jurisdiction. The chances of WGGB members going on strike in the UK are meager due to different union laws across the UK.
Second strikes are not permitted under UK law, but UK writers are encouraged to help in other ways, such as attending protests and demonstrations that do not fall within the definition of a ‘picket line’.
Deadline continues to write: “We know that strike action is a last resort and one that requires individual sacrifice. The resounding majority of WGA members who voted for this action have shown the collective strength of their feeling and their resolve to stand firm on issues that affect writers the world over.”
Deadline writes what novelist Tony Lee, who writes under the name Jack Gatland, said: “I might be in the UK, but as a member of The Writers Guild, I stand in solidarity with the WGA.”
Below is a Retweet from David Allison regarding a statement from the WGA on the strike.
Leave a Comment