BFI action suspended
Industrial action in a pay dispute at the BFI has been suspended.
The action, carried out to support a 4% pay increase, has been suspended to allow mediation talks at ACAS.
Industrial action at the BFI (British Film Institute) has been carried out by BECTU and Amicus MSF Section members.
BECTU members withdrew goodwill at the BFI Archives in Berkhamsted, not carrying out voluntary or unpaid work, together with a refusal to cover for sick and absent colleagues.
Amicus MSF Section members have been involved in two half-day stoppages of work, mainly affecting BFI Headquarters, the first such withdrawal of labour in 26 years.
Pay claim
Discussions with BFI management on pay continued throughout 2001 following the unions' original claim for a 10% increase plus an extension to the childcare scheme to cover 5-13 year olds.
The claim was made on the basis that BFI staff had accepted reduced pay awards in the previous 5 years, reflecting cuts in grant funding. These sacrifices were made on the understanding that salaries would be restored to adequate levels when financial circumstances allowed.
The unions felt that the time was right for this when the claim was formulated as BFI's funding had been secured and financial reserves were rising on the back of an increase in revenue-generating activities across the organisation.
This would also recognise that the staff are the most important asset of the BFI and adequately reward the vital contributions that they make.
Management rejected the claim - BFI Director Jon Teckman announced that he felt no obligation to honour promises made by his predecessors to restore pay levels despite the fact that pay rates at BFI start at £10800 for staff on probation and £11800 for trained staff.
Ballots
Consultative ballots overwhelmingly rejected the final offer of 3% plus an increase in childcare costs of 0.47% with an extra half-day holiday on Xmas Eve.
Prior to the commencement of the industrial action ballots, management unilaterally imposed a 3% increase by simply adding the cash to December salary payments.
Staff at BFI are enraged that these developments have taken place against the backdrop of management incompetence, which include the BFI spending millions of pounds on an e-commerce scheme which closed in 2001.
The joint unions reduced their claim on more than one occasion during the course of negotiations in attempts to reach a reasonable settlement and the claim now stands at 4%, with 1% now separating both sides.
The joint memberships of both unions now expect the BFI to improve its offer at ACAS.
Amicus is the name of the recently amalgamated MSF and AEEU unions.