Writers Guild of Ireland join 'day of solidarity' to support striking TV and film writers

A sign referring to a famous line of dialogue from the Paramount Pictures film "Chinatown" is held during a Writers Guild rally in front of Paramount Pictures studio. File Picture: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

The Writers Guild of Ireland (WGI) are joining in a "global day of solidarity and action" today to support striking film and TV writers in the US.

The nearly 12,000 members of Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May 2 in a bid to improve their pay and working conditions. 

The strikes have seen production halted and delayed on a host of high-profile projects TV shows like the Last of Us, Severance, Colin Farrell's Batman spinoff series The Penguin, and films including the Avatar sequels, Mission Impossible 8 and most of the Marvel film slate.

The WGI are joining writers in 20 other countries in showing their support for their colleagues in the US. The WGI's action today is being supported by the Irish Writers Union, Screen Directors Guild, Irish Equity and Screen Composers of Ireland.

"Our fellow writers in the US have been on strike since May 2 because their employers like Disney, Netflix and Amazon are refusing to pay them fairly," said WGI chair Jennifer Davidson.

"These media companies have made billions from the work of writers and all the other workers who make movies and series, but they are refusing to share that value with workers."

Ms Davidson said the strikes in the US form part of "a fight for screenwriters across the globe."

"The truth is that the struggle for fair compensation and protections against these global streaming companies impacts us all. Their fight is absolutely our fight," she said.

Ms Davidson said her organisation's members were "already seeing clauses in our contracts asking us to waive our legal rights to fair and proportionate remuneration – rights that we fought long and hard to achieve through the European Copyright Directive."

"We all know how much unpaid work writers are expected to do as part of the development process. And how difficult it can be to convince producers that writers deserve to be involved in the creative realisation of our work and should be executive producers on our own shows."

The WGI members are gathering this morning at 11.30am at Fusiliers' Arch on St Stephen's Green in Dublin.

"If you can make it, I’d really encourage you to come out and help us show our support and solidarity to our fellow writers and our sister Guilds," Ms Davidson added.