WGGB Annual Report 2014-15 General Secretary’S Report
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Annual report 201 4 -15 www.writersguild.org.uk The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain is a trade union registered at 134 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU Contents REGIONAL AND BRANCH REPORTS General Secretary’s report 3 East Midlands / London & 20 South East 5 Chair’s report North West (Merseyside 6 President’s report 21 & Manchester) / Scotland 8 Treasurer’s report 23 South West CRAFT COMMITTEE REPORTS 24 Wales 10 Books / Children’s 26 West Midlands 12 Film 28 Yorkshire & North East Radio 14 OBITUARIES 16 Television 29 Rememberin g WGGB members 18 Theatre 19 Videogames JOIN US CONTACT US If you are not a WGGB member, and would If you want to contact any of the WGGB like to join, you can do this online: officers, craft chairs or regional representatives featured in this annual report, you can find www.writersguild.org.uk their details on our website: Or by phone: 020 7833 0777 www.writersguild.org.uk/contact/ You can also follow us on Twitter: @TheWritersGuild Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewritersguild 2 WGGB annual report 2014-15 General Secretary’s report The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) is as strong as it has ever been – stronger, indeed. We have more members than ever. In a tough climate we continue We have a marvellous cohort of successful working to negotiate better minimum terms for writers who – somehow or other – find time in their busy lives to contribute to our negotiations, writers – in the past year, 6% on regional policies, events and debates. We are so lucky to theatre rates; 5% on ITV rates; above- have them. Please think about joining them! inflation increases for BBC TV, national theatres and independent theatres. I have been the General Secretary of WGGB for almost 15 years now, and I can honestly say I don’t We deal with scores of individual issues when our think we have ever been in better shape. members need help to sort out contract troubles, credit disputes, problems with producers and And it is going to get better. publishers. We almost always achieve an acceptable Our new membership system is consistently outcome – or better. recruiting and retaining more members than ever Then there are our events. The glittering annual before. Our amazing Twitter army of over 26,000 Writers’ Guild Awards ceremony, hosted this year followers is assuring us of global attention and in January 2015 by Sandi Toksvig at RIBA in central respect, as is our new logo and relaunched website. London, was described as the “best ever” by many Our reputation in the UK media has never been of those who attended. The unprecedented Archers higher. When WGGB speaks, the industry listens. event, organised by our West Midlands branch in We still need to recruit more writers to WGGB. Birmingham in March 2015, saw Archers writer and We still need to generate more revenues, so that WGGB Deputy Chair Tim Stimpson take questions we can employ more people to give more support on the controversial Ambridge floods storyline, to writers. which he wrote. Other events have taken place across Wales, Scotland, London and elsewhere. But brothers and sisters – we are on our way! We have considerable influence over politicians in In the digital world, content is king – and writers Westminster, Brussels, Holyrood and Cardiff Bay, are the people who provide the content. We and we maintain this with regular meetings. We are should be confident and ever more powerful. fully engaged with other writers’ guilds and unions Our future is in our own grasp. throughout the world – all over Europe, the USA, Canada, India, etc, etc. Bernie Corbett We remain on top of potential changes in copyright General Secretary and collective management, and we pursue these issues energetically through our affiliations with powerful international lobbying groups. We have been the moving spirit behind the establishment of Writers Digital Payments, which in 2015 has begun to distribute over £1 million to writers whose work has been viewed on internet catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer. www.writersguild.org.uk 3 WGGB wields influence in Westminster, Holyrood, Cardiff Bay, Brussels and beyond 4 WGGB annual report 2014-15 Chair’s report This is my final report as Chair. During my three years in post I have been impressed time and again by the dedication of Guild members who We need to continue to advise writers of their choose to work for our union. We have a rights, educate the industry on best practice and dedicated small team of staff working from warn writers against unscrupulous practices. our offices in London, but a great deal of The Guild is working across TV, film, radio, theatre, the Guild’s work is also undertaken by books, poetry, animation and videogames. We have writers who volunteer their time to help established branches in more parts of the UK than fulfil our union’s ambitions. ever before. The Guild is in good health, but my experience as an officer has taught me that the Writers take part in negotiations, lobby, manage Guild not only survives on the hard work of the committees and arrange events the length and staff and members but on the income we are able breadth of the country. We must remember that to generate. The majority of the Guild’s income our union was established by professional writers comes from member subscriptions and aside from and that writers continue to manage its affairs on raising the subscription rate the best way of a day-to-day basis. increasing our funds is by attracting new members. Writers in the UK have won many important We are members of our union, but we also have a battles. Some writers’ guilds around the world responsibility to communicate the importance aren’t acknowledged by broadcasters, they don’t of a strong union that is able to represent have minimum terms agreements or enjoy writers with one voice. employer-contribution pension plans. We enjoy The Guild’s new website and branding will help us these rights but we must also work to protect our communicate this message more effectively and interests in an ever-changing industry. I’m confident this resource will develop over the The Guild has been working for more than five next 12 months. years on ensuring that writers are paid when their I have enjoyed my work at the Guild despite the work is viewed online. I’m delighted that Writers headaches and surprises it has thrown up and I Digital Payments, a not-for-profit company set up would like to thank everyone who contributes to by the Guild and the Personal Managers’ its ongoing strength. Association, has recently made its first payments to writers. It’s initiatives like this that underline the Guild’s continued relevance. Roger Williams Chair Writers Digital Payments makes sure TV writers get properly paid when their work is shown online www.writersguild.org.uk 5 President’s report This has been a year of consolidation at the Writers’ Guild. Hovering for some years under the 2,000-member mark, this year we have settled just above it, making us the largest writers’ union in Europe. After moving office last year, staff have now MEMBER SUPPORT settled in to the excellent new premises We can all fall foul of contracts if we don’t read near London Bridge. A significant amount them carefully, and free contract vetting, support of our archive has found a home at the and advice is a benefit that all Guild members are University of Warwick, making it more eligible for. Guild staff have continued to provide accessible and saving us storage charges. members with invaluable support and advice over the past year, and members can now also consult And the pension scheme has moved from the newly-revamped ‘Rates and agreements’ and its previous management to within Aviva. ‘Resources’ sections of our smart-looking, relaunched website. The work of the Guild falls into three main areas: negotiations; helping individual members with contract problems and the like; events and awards. EVENTS AND AWARDS There have been numerous Guild events NEGOTIATIONS throughout the year, mostly organised by increasingly active regional branches – a special The business of negotiation is a continuous one, mention to Piers Beckley, Chair of the London and I applaud the members of the variou s Writers’ & South East branch, for reviving the London Guild craft committees who put so much effort area with the popular Meet the Agents gathering, into this incredibly important work – collective among others. bargaining on behalf of hundreds of freelance writers, who cannot possibly hope to stand up to The Guild gives a number of awards as part employers on their own. Whether Guild members of other events, including the BBC Audio Drama or not, all writers benefit from this work. So Awards and the British Comedy Awards. please, if you are a member and find yourself We also have our own Olwen Wymark Theatre working alongside other writers, do encourage Encouragement Awards, which give Guild members them to join. It works. the chance to thank those who have given them a positive experience in new writing in the past year. This year has seen a new negotiating partnership in the form of the Filmmakers’ Alliance, consisting Our annual Writers’ Guilds Awards evening, of the Writers’ Guild, Directors UK and Pact established in 1961, is undoubtedly a highpoint of (representing independent producers). The ‘locked our calendar. This year it was organised by a special box’ deal, negotiated by the Filmmakers’ Alliance Awards Working Party, plus a professional events with the British Film Institute (BFI), means that organiser, and was hosted by Sandi Toksvig on 19 writers, producers and directors all now get an January 2015 at RIBA on Portland Place, central equal share of recouped income from feature films London.