With the Writers Guild of America and representatives of Hollywood studios and streamers reaching a tentative deal on a new contract late on Sunday, international reactions started pouring in on Monday.
Among the groups chiming in on the development was the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB). “We send our congratulations to our sister union in the States on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” WGGB chair Lisa Holdsworth said in a statement. “In the past 146 days we’ve seen an extraordinary show of solidarity from writers and their union siblings on both sides of the Atlantic, and indeed around the world. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response of our own membership in standing with their striking colleagues overseas – you have followed the WGA strike rules to the letter, turned out to the WGGB protest in London in the summer and sent a tsunami of support on social media. Some of you have even joined picket lines in the States. Your solidarity has counted and your voice has been heard – both by the Writers Guild of America and their members but also by the streamers, studios and producers who have witnessed this global display of collective action and have – finally – listened.”
She said the WGGB was looking forward to seeing the details of the tentative deal and “its implications for U.K. writers,” emphasizing: “All writers working for streaming platforms must enjoy decent terms and conditions and the best way to achieve these is through union agreements – our work here will continue.”
Holdsworth struck a further serious note, pointing to the ongoing actors strike. “We are also aware of the acute impact the strike is having on the U.K. creative industries, on our own members and members of our sister entertainment unions, too, so we look forward to a speedy resolution to both this strike and that of SAG-AFTRA, to whom we continue to send our solidarity,” she said.
After several long consecutive days of negotiations, the Writers Guild of America and a group representing studios and streamers reached a tentative deal on a new contract on Sunday, in a major development that could precipitate the end of a historic, 146-day writers strike.
The Writers Guild of America emailed strike captains the news on Sunday night, followed by its negotiating committee informing all members. “We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language,” the message to members said. “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
In June, the WGGB and others joined writers and other workers in the media and entertainment sectors around the world for “Screenwriters Everywhere,” a global day of solidarity with striking Hollywood writers. The goal of the protest organized by the WGGB in central London was to “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. The event attracted the likes of Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, British writer Russell T Davies (Doctor Who, Queer as Folk), as well as TV and film writer Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, The Eddy, Enola Holmes).
