Hollywood sign pixabay

Source: Pixabay

UK trade union Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has thrown its support behind the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and its impending strike action, advising its membership not to work on projects within the jurisdiction of the WGA if a strike were to take place.

A statement from WGGB said: “In light of the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing contract negotiations, including the recent announcement of a Strike Authorization Vote (SAV) from 11-17 April 2023, the WGGB’s Executive Council has supported the following motion.

“The WGGB support the WGA in their ongoing negotiations. If a strike cannot be avoided, we will advise our membership not to work on projects within the jurisdiction of the WGA for the duration of the strike in line with our IAWG [International Affiliation of Writers Guilds] agreements.”

WGGB members include Tom Stoppard and Jack Thorne.

Online ballots opened yesterday (April 12), closing on April 17, with WGA members deciding whether to authorise industrial action.

The WGA posted its reasons for calling for a strike on Twitter: “Over the past decade, the companies embraced business practices that slashed our compensation and undermined our working conditions. We are asking to restore writer pay & conditions to reflect our value to this industry. The survival of our profession is at stake.”