Equity To Brief UK Publicists On SAG-AFTRA Strike
Actors including Brian Cox, Simon Pegg and Imelda Staunton attended an Equity demo in support of the SAG-AFTRA strikes.
EXCLUSIVE: British actors union Equity will today update strike guidance for publicity agents amid confusion over how stars should manage their promotional duties during the SAG-AFTRA walkout.
The union, which has said it will enthusiastically support industrial action within UK laws, is expected to update its strike FAQs after getting calls from publicists requesting clarity.
Multiple publicists have told Deadline that there is uncertainty over how they should be preparing for press campaigns over the coming months.
“Everybody’s in a state of panic and downing tools because they don’t want to put their clients in a difficult position,” said one publicist. Another added: “It’s difficult to see where actors stand and there is a lot of confusion.”
Equity General Secretary Paul W Fleming encouraged publicists to check the contracts of their clients and plan campaigns accordingly.
He said actors on a SAG-AFTRA deal are likely to be told by the U.S. union that they are forbidden from doing promotional work. Those on an Equity agreement are not on strike and should fulfill their contractual duties.
“The contract is in dispute, not the union itself,” Fleming said. “American actors are still recording TV commercials. Americans are still recording audiobooks, including for struck companies … because the agreements that they’re recording on are not subject to the dispute.”
Deadline hears that British actors have voiced reservations about doing interviews and other publicity work during the strike, even when they are on Equity deals.
One publicist said contracts often include a vague provision for “reasonable publicity,” which could be open to interpretation in terms of the volume of promotional work an actor undertakes.
Fleming said members are welcome to contact Equity for specific advice if they are concerned that they are undermining a strike by going “above and beyond” their contractual duties.
“Do you have to carry on doing press and publicity as specified in your contract if you’re on an Equity agreement? Yes. If you’re contractually bound to do ‘reasonable press and publicity,’ what does that now mean? Well, that will depend on the circumstances,” Fleming said.
“What are you objecting to, in particular? Going on a chat show in these circumstances, for instance, maybe a more reasonable thing to object to, as opposed to having a photograph taken.”
The union would never actively advise members to renege on press duties to support the strikes because it could be seen as an inducement to take illegal industrial action.
Source: Deadline
