Industrial action over BFI pay dispute suspended

Industrial action, carried out by BECTU and Amicus MSF members to support a 4 per cent pay increase at the British Film Institute (BFI), has been suspended to allow mediation talks at ACAS.
BECTU members withdrew goodwill at the BFI Archives in Berkhamsted, which meant 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.
Discussions with BFI management on pay continued throughout 2001 following the unions' original claim for a 10 per cent 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 five 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.
BFI Director Jon Teckman rejected the claim, saying that he felt no obligation to honour promises made by his predecessors.
Consultative ballots overwhelmingly rejected the final offer of 3 per cent plus an increase in childcare costs of 0.47 per cent with an extra half-day holiday on Xmas Eve.
Prior to the commencement of the industrial action ballots, management unilaterally imposed a 3 per cent 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 alleged 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 per cent, with 1 per cent now separating both sides.
The joint memberships of both unions now expect the BFI to improve their offer at ACAS.
BECTU, www.bectu.co.uk
Amicus MSF, www.msf.org.uk
http://www.msf.org.uk/
BFI, www.bfi.org.uk
(GB)