Bectu calls on DNEG to pause pay-cut consultation

Bectu calls on DNEG to pause pay-cut consultation

169 staff members at DNEG are supporting a Collective Grievance calling upon the company to halt it’s consultation on wage cuts and start a meaningful dialogue with its staff.

The London VFX and animation house has been consulting for barely more than a week on swingeing proposed pay cuts of up to 25%. With The staff consultation ending today, many aspects of the proposals are still widely misunderstood - even by the management who are attempting to explain it to staff. 

In some cases proposals such as an ‘equity pool’ haven’t even been revealed, even in the most basic form.

Staff were thrown into a new level of panic, yesterday evening, after management suggested that if all the hundreds of people affected fail to agree to the proposed cuts, the company will switch its focus to job cuts.

Bectu Assistant National Secretary Paul Evans said:

“DNEG management are now floundering and losing much of the goodwill that they have with their artists because they have tried to railroad them into accepting these cuts.

“Many staff are incredibly anxious at the moment including a number who have families in the UK whose visas dependent on their continued employment status. To play fast and loose with their employment is unacceptable.

“DNEG could have had a fully worked out proposal that would’ve been able to command the confidence of the staff. Instead we are now seeing a clumsy attempt to intimidate them into just accepting huge pay cuts or job-losses.

“A well-managed and meaningful collective conversation with staff could have avoided this at no cost to the company. Indeed it would’ve allowed them to make the changes that they need to in an orderly, and agreed way.

“It is still not too late to do this. DNEG staff have been in contact with Bectu in large numbers and the union has written a “collective grievance” calling upon the company to conduct a meaningful collective consultation to resolve this issue. That has now been sent to the company by the staff concerned.

“It's not too late for DNEG to hit the pause button. The collective grievance outlines how this can be done without impacting on the company's trading position. If they decide to start cutting jobs now, staff will know that it is because they didn't have a sensible conversation about the other, workable alternatives when they could have done so.”