Screenwriters Everywhere: A Day of Global Solidarity
Embargo 14 June 9 am CET
On June 14, 2023, members of the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE), International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG), UNI Global Union (UNI-MEI), and other supporters will hold events around the world for Screenwriters Everywhere, a day of global solidarity and action.
Our organizations stand in support of the 11,500 members of Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East, who have been on strike since May 2. Actions are planned in 35 countries, ranging from pickets of local Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) member offices and rallies, to membership discussions and social media campaigns. In many instances, screenwriters will be joined by actors, directors, crew, musicians and other cultural workers and unions.
German Screenwriter and FSE President, Carolin Otto:
“Screenwriters in Europe are in awe of the organization, determination and solidarity of our friends and colleagues in the Writers Guilds of America, East and West, in their fight to defend and protect their profession from the sustained assaults they are currently facing. We are all too familiar with the attacks that threaten to make a career as a screenwriter unsustainable. In Europe, and across the globe, screenwriters are exploited for their commitment to their work. We enthusiastically support the WGA strike. Their fight is our fight – we will share in their victory.”
Irish Screenwriter and IAWG Chair, Thomas McLaughlin:
“The members of the IAWG, made up of Guilds from Europe, America, Canada, India, Africa, Korea, New Zealand and Israel, stand in solidarity with our sister Guilds in America, the WGAE and the WGAW. The companies that seek to exploit and diminish writers are global, our response is global, and the victory gained in America will be a victory for screenwriters everywhere. Union now, union forever.”
Matthew D. Loeb President of UNI – Media, Entertainment & Arts (UNI MEI) and of the IATSE:
“Workers in our industry – above and below the line – have been squeezed during the ongoing transformation to the streaming model. The WGA and unions everywhere fight higher work pressure, unsustainable remuneration models, unsafe working hours and deadlines. On this Global Day of Solidarity, the global community of media, entertainment & arts unions stands in solidarity with the WGA in their fight for fair pay and decent working conditions.”
Screen and television writers in the U.S. have been on strike since May 2 because their employers like Disney, Netflix and Amazon are refusing to pay them fairly. Media companies have made billions from the work of writers and all the other workers who make movies and series, but they are refusing to share that value with workers. The struggle for fair compensation and protections against these global streaming companies is shared by all our members.
The Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE) brings together 31 screenwriters’ organisations from 25 European countries. The International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG) has 14 members from 12 countries. UNI – Media, Entertainment and Arts (UNI MEI) unites over 140 unions and guilds. Together, our organizations represent approximately 67,000 professional film and television writers and more than 500,000 other creatives, technicians and behind-the-scenes workers worldwide.
