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EXCLUSIVE: “We will not use the UK as a back door to undermine the dispute between SAG and AFTRA,” said the leader of UK actors’ union Equity.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline ahead of Equity’s first rallies in support of the US actors’ cause, Paul Fleming denied that the industrial action, which has just entered its second week across the pond, will be a boon to its members.
Much of the international discussion revolved around whether more international actors could find work while US talent was pushed back and some US-commissioned shows that are filmed internationally, like House of the Dragon and Alien, were able to attract British talent. But Equity, for example, has said it will fully support SAG’s refusal to issue new Global Rule One supplements during the strike, and while Fleming declined to comment on specific shows, he pointed out that “access to American talent is drying up” is affecting the entire global industry.
“We will use all possible and legal means to support [the strike],” he added. “We will not allow the UK to be used as a back door to undermine their dispute.”
Fleming said he’s had a “chaotic and complex time” since the strike was called, helping his 50,000-member base understand the impact on their projects, despite the union issuing clear guidance on the first night of the dispute.
The UK’s anti-union laws mean SAG members currently working under an equity contract will be forced to carry on as they have no legal protection if they stop work.
While Fleming called these laws “phenomenally draconian”, he said he was unaware of British actors refusing to work in solidarity.
“There are people who want to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters across the pond in other ways, and that’s a difficult conversation,” he added. “The same goes for the public sector workers here. People want to show solidarity with nurses or train drivers and are also prevented from taking action to support them.”
Equity’s concern isn’t just to support its U.S. counterparts, however. The union’s television and film contract with the British producers’ association Pact and the broadcasters is expiring and negotiations will start shortly.
“Broadly identical” claims
Fleming stressed that Equity’s key amendments tabled to the Pact were “broadly identical” to those of SAG, with the UK union demanding a 15% wage increase and reporting provisions on side payments – similar to streaming residuals – and provisions on AI.
“So this argument has massive implications for what [British] “Producers will want to do something in the coming year,” Fleming added.
Looking ahead to future British negotiations, Fleming spoke to SAG officials every few days before the strike and now speaks to them daily to ensure the two are on the same page.
“Equity and SAG are independent of each other, but we don’t want to be in different rooms hearing different things from the same people [during negotiations],” he added.
“Our agreements are every bit as strong as SAG’s and we expect nothing less. SAG is arguably the largest and most influential entertainment union in the world, but we’re arguably second. Our agreements form the basis for the vast majority of content filmed in both Europe and the UK.”
AI regulations will be a big part of these negotiations, and work on how the much-discussed issue will affect TV and film was kick-started at a global meeting in London last September, where SAG and Equity exchanged ideas. Equity has since developed an AI toolkit that, among other things, tries to prevent artists’ performances from being cloned. “We started on the big picture and now SAG is ahead of the curve on the detail,” said Fleming.
He was speaking ahead of the two Equity rallies in London and Manchester, which will feature a number of high profile actors including Rob Delaney and Simon Pegg, as well as Equity officials and Labor politician John McDonnell. The rallies start in three hours.