Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians
| Full name | Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1933 |
| Date dissolved | 1991 |
| merged into | Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union |
| Affiliation | Labour Party |
| Country | United Kingdom |
The Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1933 and 1991.
History
The union was founded by technicians at the Gaumont British Studios in 1933 as the Association of Cinematograph Technicians (ACT). It elected George Elvin as its first General Secretary the following year, and in 1936 affiliated to the Trades Union Congress.[1]
ACT began organising film laboratory workers, and in 1943 it affiliated to the Labour Party. At the ACT annual general meeting of 1949 the union made the decision to create ACT Films Limited which with the support of the President of the Board of Trade, Harold Wilson, was established in 1950.[2] In 1955, it extended its coverage to represent technicians working on ITV, and the following year incorporated "Television" into its name.
In the late 1950s, ACTT came into dispute with film directors John and Roy Boulting, and this may have partly inspired their film, I'm All Right Jack. ACTT were highly critical of the film's negative portrayal of trade unionists.
In 1969, Elvin was replaced as General Secretary by Alan Sapper.
The union repeatedly discussed potential mergers with the Association of Broadcasting Staff (ABS), which represented the equivalent workers at the BBC, but these foundered until in 1991 it merged with the Broadcasting and Entertainment Trades Alliance, the successor to the ABS, to form the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union.
Act Films Ltd
- Green Grow The Rushes (1950)
- Night Was Our Friend (1951)
- Circumstantial Evidence (1952)
- Private Information (1952)
- The Final Test (1952)
- The Blue Parrot (1953)
- House of Blackmail (1953)
- Burnt Evidence (1954)
- Final Appointment (1954)
- Dangerous Cargo (1954)
- Room in the House (1955)
- Stolen Assignment (1955)
- The Last Man to Hang? (1956)
- Suspended Alibi (1957)
- The Diplomatic Corpse (1957)
- Second Fiddle (1957)
- The Man Upstairs (1958)
- Dead Lucky (1959)
- Don't Panic Chaps! (1959)
- The Kitchen (1961)
- The Piper's Tune (1961)
- Dilemma (1962)
- We are the Engineers (1969)
- One in Five (1971)
- The People's March for Jobs (1981)
Publications
- Action! Fifty Years in the Life of a Union. Published: 1983 (UK). Publisher: ACTT. ISBN 0 9508993 0 5.
References
- ↑ Macnab, Geoffrey. J. Arthur Rank and the British Film Industry. Routledge, 2013. ISBN 1135087202, 9781135087203
- ↑ Action! Fifty Years in the Life of a Union. Published: 1983 (UK). Publisher: ACTT. ISBN 0 9508993 0 5. ACT Films Limited - Ralph Bond p80 "ACT Films Ltd's formation was made possible through the support and influence of Harold Wilson MP, who was then the President of the Board of Trade."