French TV Industry Faces Possible Historic Strike by Crew Members in Minimum Wage Battle with Producers
variety.comElsa Keslassy International Correspondent Following in the footsteps of U.S. guilds, French TV crew members are poised to go on strike amid a battle with producers over minimum wages.
Labor union CGT-SPIAC has sought a 20% increase on basic salaries for crew members working in production and post-production of TV shows, documentaries and unscripted content in France.
But after several weeks of negotiations, the producers’ bargaining units (USPA, SPI, SPECT, SATEV) offered a 5% increase for crew members earning €1,000 or less per week, and a 3% increase for those earning €1000 or more.
The CGT-SPIAC reacted almost immediately calling for a strike vote. Crew members already went on strike for two days in mid-November, a stoppage that affected nearly 50 shoots, including Mediawan’s “HPI,” season 2 of AMC’s “The Walking Dead : Daryl Dixon” and M6’s “Top Chef.” If union members approve another strike by the vote, the walkout will run for five days, a duration that could be extended. “These two days of strike already had a colossal impact on the shoot of ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,'” said Raphael Benoliel, a top line producer who works on most major U.S.
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