EXCLUSIVE: The UK government is “engaging with industry to understand the impacted of continued U.S. strike action” but has stopped short of committing to an Income Replacement Scheme to help freelancers with lost earnings.
A petition calling on government to financially support TV and film crew unable to work due to the strikes has amassed nearly 30,000 signatures. In a statement to Deadline, a spokesman for the Culture, Media and Sport department said support will continue only via pre-existing tax reliefs and broader investment.
“We are engaging with industry to understand the impact of continued U.S. strike action,” said the spokesman. “We continue our support for the screen industries through competitive tax reliefs, investing in studio infrastructure, supporting innovation, and promoting independent content.”
Launched earlier this month by campaigner Laura Evans, the petition urges the government to “do more to support UK TV and film crew who are unable to work due to strikes” by providing financial support via an Income Replacement Scheme.
The majority of UK projects are contracted under UK union Equity and have been able to push on but some, including the likes of Apple TV+’s Silo and Rami Malek-starring movie Amateur, have had to pause, while British talent have lost work on U.S. projects.
A sharp decline in work for the UK’s thousands-strong freelance community dominated chatter at last week’s Edinburgh TV Festival. Meanwhile, The Film & TV Charity revealed applications from freelancers for financial help skyrocketed by 800% in July 2023 compared to the same month last year.
The writers and actors strike are on day 122 and 49 respectively but are showing no sign of ending soon, with studio CEOs meeting yesterday for a virtual sitdown to discuss the deadlock.
