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DIRECTORS UK – HOLLYOAKS CAMPAIGN

By FrancesArnold

Dear Directors Agents
Further to Catherine’s Directors UK/HOLLYOAKS mail out last week, we have now received confirmation that Andrew Chowns has sent an official letter to Lime Pictures demanding they begin director pay talks. The embargo is now in place. See below.
Best
PMA Directors Group
Dear All
As previously advised, I sent an email to Claire Poyser this afternoon notifying her of our requirement that Lime begins good faith pay talks with us immediately.
As I confirmed in my last message, now that the letter has gone to Lime and until further notice we will be imposing an embargo on any new contracts. During the embargo period please do not accept any new engagement from Lime on Hollyoaks. All our directors have agreed to stand firm and together on this issue, so that Lime can be in no doubt that they need to agree to open genuine talks with us. Once it is clear that Lime are conducting genuine talks with us then I will be asking members if they want to revoke the embargo. Lime operates an unusual system of “pencil booking” directors well in advance. A pencil booking is not a contract. Therefore, during the embargo period we are also asking all directors to disregard any pencil bookings now in existence and any that you may subsequently be offered. I will be making this clear to Lime. If you already have a contract in place for Lime, then you may work under this contract and it is not covered by the embargo.
If you do get approached for a new booking, we recommend that you respond along the lines of “Thank you, and I would love to do the show, but can I just check if Lime has now started pay talks with Directors UK?” If the answer is “No”, then you can reply “In that case I will have to decline for now as Directors UK has asked its members to support its call for Lime to begin pay talks.” This is the form of response that was used successfully by our colleagues on Coronation Street and in our BBC pay campaign last year. Based on our experience with both ITV and the BBC, I do not expect the embargo to be in place for very long: once it is clear that we have total support among the directors and that Lime cannot confirm any new bookings I expect them to declare that they will negotiate with us.
I will keep you all posted on any relevant news of the campaign as it comes in. In return, please let me know if you hear of any relevant information so that I can make sure we are all kept fully informed of progress. You may call me on any matter that is a concern for you on the number below.
With best wishes
Andrew
ANDREW CHOWNS
Chief Executive
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Directors UK
3rd and 4th Floor
22 Stukeley Street
London
WC2B 5LR
Email: achowns@directors.uk.com
Tel: 0207 240 0009
Direct Line: 0207 845 9701
Directors UK Ltd Registered No: 2685120
Website: www.directors.uk.com