On April 18 and 19, the employees of UGC Ciné-Cité Les Halles protested against their degraded working conditions. They are carrying out a strike that they intend to lead until they achieve their goals.
“The Devil Wears Prada, and here we are struggling,” read a sign held by an employee of UGC Ciné-Cité Les Halles. Film lovers to the core, even in hardship. On April 18 and 19, the employees of the world’s most frequented cinema went on strike. This is the third time since December. The mobilization has reached a new level: the strike is ongoing, showing a anger that will not stop on the weekend.
“At UGC Les Halles, unlimited card, just like the strike!” announced the CGT Spectacle in an Instagram post. Through this mobilization, employees aim to highlight the availability of their working conditions. Starting with the hours: a cinema of such magnitude involves screenings throughout the day, with the latest ones ending around midnight – both during the week and on weekends. Moreover, the staff are deemed “too few and poorly adapted to the needs”. In the same statement, employees also raise concerns about low wages, as well as “the lack of flexibility to organize vacation during school holidays”. This is compounded by dealing with the public, sometimes hostile. Employees point out “the lack of recognition of availability despite verbal and physical aggressions from certain customers.”
A solidarity fund has raised over 5000 euros.
Their demands? “A fixed salary increase of at least 5%, a availability bonus, a monthly effort bonus, a seniority upgrade, sufficient staffing…”. In March, a meeting was held with UGC Les Halles’ management and employees. The management set the tone upfront: “This meeting is not a negotiation meeting,” they said, as reported by employees to Inrockuptibles. Since then, nothing. “They didn’t try to communicate afterwards, or reach out to us during our two days of strike, Saturday and Sunday.”
A solidarity fund has been set up to support the strikers. If the mobilization continues, it will allow them to organize “without economic impact for many precarious individuals”. The movement has wide support, as the fund has now reached 5000 euros. “So the strike will continue,” the employees promise.
