Ritzy to strike

BECTU members at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton have given notice to strike over a pay dispute.

After many months of negotiations, BECTU has today (19 May 2007) given management at the Brixton Ritzy Cinema the statutory notice of the days on which union members will go on strike.

To coincide with the release of the highly anticipated blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End the staff will strike on Saturday 26 May and on Friday 1 June 2007 in an attempt to secure an improved pay offer.

Members currently on the national minimum wage of £5.35 per hour rejected the company's last offer of £5.41, or £5.50 per hour without sales bonus, and then voted unanimously to take strike action.

Local BECTU Representative Jackie Brett-Holt said: "It is unacceptable for a company as a large as City Screen to take advantage of its workers by enforcing a wage well below the recognised London poverty line.

"We have made every effort to come to a resolution in our negotiations, but City Screen, who run the Ritzy, have stated that they will not pay wages at or above the the poverty line, and we are therefore forced to take strike action."