Actors strike on overseas ads

Australian actors will begin strike action from midnight against overseas commercials shot locally.

Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) members have agreed to the action following the termination of its Agreement with The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA)

“Industrial action could involve picketing casting agents or commercial productions who are seeking to engage performers in breach of the strike,” a statement from the MEAA said.

“Australian performers had never held a strike on commercials, offshore or otherwise,” Equity’s national director Simon Whipp said.

But SPAA has called the strike misleading and mischievous.

“You cannot strike if you are not employed,” said Geoff Brown, Executive Director of SPAA.”MEAA should be well aware of the laws that relate to industrial action. SPAA has received advice that MEAA may be seeking to mislead performers and their agents that there is some form of legal strike in operation and that they are somehow prevented from accepting employment with SPAA members. Our advice is that any form of behaviour by the union which seeks or encourages unlawful industrial action is a potential offence under the Fair Work Act.”

SPAA claims the Agreement is rejected by the international market with confuxing an inflexible conditions.

“This makes it much more difficult to employ actors in Australia than our competitor countries such as New Zealand, South Africa or Canada. Our producers will still be offering very good fees to actors and SPAA will be providing producers with a guide to underlying conditions.”

Simon Whipp defends: “Strike action is not something we take lightly, but SPAA’s decision to rip up the agreement is an attack on performers’ rights that cannot be ignored.”