In 2014, Cineworld was subject to
industrial action owing to its refusal to pay the
London living wage to its staff. Started by workers at the
Ritzy Cinema,
Brixton, the resulting
Ritzy Living Wage campaign attracted the support of
Eric Cantona and
Terry Jones. Industrial action
resumed in October 2016 over the issue of the
Living Wage, as well as recognition of the theatre union
BECTU, parental pay and sick pay, and spread to six Picturehouse cinemas, making it the biggest strike action ever by cinema workers in the UK. Staff at the
Ritzy Cinema were represented by
BECTU while other cinemas were represented by the Picturehouse Staff Forum, a
company union set up by management in 2003 and later run by Picturehouse staff. Strikes continued into 2018, when workplace reps were found to be unfairly dismissed and were instructed to be reinstated, meanwhile Picturehouse claimed that they were one of the highest paying employers in the UK cinema industry. In 2019, following a membership vote, the Staff Forum (run by Picturehouse management) was dissolved and later removed by the
Certification Officer from the official list of trade unions.
BECTU also called off the company boycott, stating "BECTU members have now agreed to suspend our Living Staff Living Wage campaign and call off the public boycott to focus on fighting for equal pay at the Ritzy and continuing to challenge the dismissal of other members. We won't rest until Ritzy and Picturehouse follows suit with other cinema employers we have successfully worked with and treats all its workers fairly." As of 2022, Picturehouse cinemas still do not pay their frontline staff living wage. ==References==