TORONTO – This is looking like a bitter battle.
Contract negotiations between Canadian film and TV producers and the actors they employ broke off quickly this week with each side claiming the other is at fault.
Later on Wednesday then, ACTRA national president Richard Hardacre said Canadian producers appear to have not read their own proposals, "and weren’t listening to two days of straight talk at the bargaining table."
ACTRA has proposed that a government mediator be appointed to assist in the negotiations.
“In a press release, the producers’ associations claim to have tabled innocuous little proposals about reality and lifestyle television,” Hardacre said, in ACTRA’s release. “In fact, what they tabled were proposals for 10% to 25% across-the-board pay rollbacks. They proposed to gut the residuals system. And they proposed numerous other onerous and regressive cutbacks to working conditions for Canada’s leading and working performers. It concerns me that they don’t seem to understand their own proposals.”
"Hardacre said that the parties discussed the key points in detail over two days, at discussions attended by some of Canada’s leading film and television stars. It’s clear from the wide gulf between the parties that a neutral third party needs to get involved in the talks to help the producers understand and re-evaluate their own proposals, and to bring some realism to the discussions," says the press release.
ACTRA has now offered producers a ‘safe harbour’ agreement, which would allow specific productions slated for Canada to continue past the expiry of the current Independent Production Agreement (IPA). The letter would also permit productions that had signed it to continue in the event of a strike or lockout. The current IPA expires December 31, 2006
The producers, for their part, lamented the fact the actors have walked away from talks. "Unfortunately, at this time ACTRA has indicated that they are not willing to engage in an open and frank dialogue with regard to their concerns with our proposals." said Guy Mayson, president and CEO, CFTPA, in another press release.
"CFTPA/APFTQ has repeatedly expressed our readiness to discuss and explain the rationale of our proposals with ACTRA, and its membership. Meaningful progress can only take place at the bargaining table; the producers’ associations are not interested in bargaining through the media."
"If ACTRA is serious about getting a deal, we suggest that they get back to the bargaining table as soon as possible" added John Barrack, chief negotiator for the CFTPA.
