The B.C. district council for the Directors Guild of Canada has issued a strike notice to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Canadian Media Producers Association’s B.C. chapter.
The council represents creative and logistical personnel in the film and television industry and the guild says the notice comes after members voted more than 92 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.
It says in a news release that the union requested a meeting with the employers on Monday, but no progress was made toward reaching a deal.
The guild says the strike notice means that any production that’s not covered by a “safe harbour agreement” may be subject to labour action once 72 hours have passed since the strike notice was issued on Tuesday.
There can be no new safe harbour agreements moving forward, it says, but productions with existing agreements will be protected from job action.
The guild says the key issues include wage differentials as the minimum wage increases, as well as wage increases that are retroactive to expiry of the last collective agreement and payment terms for COVID-19 testing.
A statement from Kendrie Upton, executive director of the B.C. district council, says they want labour stability, but they need an agreement that provides fairness and safety for everyone working under the contract.
“We care about this industry. We have always been willing to negotiate. The employers need to do their part and work with us to hammer out a fair deal.”