MPC SCRAPS payrises for workers this year and introduces MANDATORY office working in latest townhall meeting
Pay freezes in 2022 for MPC workers
On Thursday 14th July, MPC’s President Tom Williams announced that the company will be halting pay rises this year. The reasoning behind these pay rises freezes are currently unknown to the AVU. We are keeping a close eye on the situation unfolding at the company though. As we are all aware, with the cost of living rising at a fast rate, a freeze on people's pay will make things harder for those working at MPC, who are not very happy at all with this decision.
The new RAG system
In addition to the pay freezes, President Tom Williams mentioned the introduction of a new form of hybrid working. This new form of hybrid working is based on “how well a project is doing” and starts on the 1st of August this year. MPC has named the system RAG. An infographic of the system was posted on a social media website which you can view below.
Official infographic from MPC on their new RAG system.
As you can see, MPC introduce three new stages of red, amber and green status.
RED - This project has serious issues and staff are required to work from the office full time (5 days per week)
AMBER - This project has some issues and staff are required to work from the office 4 days per week with permission.
GREEN - This project is on track and staff are required to work 3 days a week from the office with permission.
The disclaimer under the status explanation warns the status of a show may change at any point in a production cycle and those who will be required to work from the office will only have a maximum of 5 days’ notice to comply.
This news looks like MPC has scrapped any form of working from home entirely and staff will be required to work in the office at least 3 days per week. Sometimes staff will be required to come in full-time. Of course, we are not ruling out weekend work…
The AVU is puzzled at the reasoning behind this system when so many other companies in the UK (and the world) are thriving, especially with staff being able to WFH permanently, or at least have the choice to come into the office if they choose. Cinesite and Blue Zoo are two studios that are extremely successful with their work-from-home setups and will not ask employees to return if they don’t want to.
Will this push people away from MPC? With so many other studios who are on the hunt for new talent in the UK, could this be the final straw for those at MPC to seek pastures new that have just had enough?
Is now the best time to organize and unionize?
As we come out of the pandemic and laws change, companies may start to change their WFH policies and threaten the new lifestyle we have all got used to. WFH has transformed people’s lives for the better. Parents can spend time with their children and be a bigger part of their lives, and those on lower wages starting out can save money on those commuting costs. Optional hybrid working is still there for many who live on their own or for those who don’t have a lot of space for a WFH set up.
We HAVE to protect the right to work from home. We cannot do it as individuals, unfortunately. We need to unite and organize to protect things like working from home as well as other things like poor working practices and pay rise cuts.
Please consider joining the union, especially if you are at MPC. We offer so much! We have two communication platforms on Slack and Discord that are safe spaces for discussions for this sort of thing. There is a channel specifically for each issue as well as a channel for those working at each studio in the UK. Start talking and making waves!
We also offer legal advice if things go south, advice in general on your rights, help with standing up to abusive employers and so much more. The first year’s membership is discounted!
Check out our website at www.animvfxunion.com.