Page 22 - Studio International - May 1972

The artists' function of establishing the quality and identity wider areas of Union activity.
of society.
(iv) Branch status would give the artist the
union the living arts as an integral part of our social, strength of that Union's political voice,
To dedicate ourselves to the establishment of
together with its negotiating experienCe and
political and economic situation. acCess to its legal department; operational
To represent a new consciousness of the skills which it would take considerable time to
political responsibilities of the artist, whiCh is develop independently.
in turn to see the artist as : (v) A stable financial structure, totally
a liberating force for soCial Change; independent of all existing art institutions, and
working to establish ever Closer relationships the comparatively large financial resources of an
between art and the needs of the people; established union would assist an Artists' Branch
wielding art as a weapon against materialism; in its early stages.
asserting art as a process catalysed by the (vi) Given the organizational inexperience of
artist in which people take a vital and creative the majority of artists, the effective stable and
role. demoCratiC structure of an existing union would
2 The Policy Group be an asset. The union would be of great
The first formal meeting of the Policy Group assistance in drawing up the constitution etc.
was held on 27 June, 1971. It was formed by (vii) The larger unions have a national network
five artists (later expanded to seven) who were of offices. The network of related artists
firmly committed to an Artists' Union. branches would depend on numerical factors,
It set out to explore the possibilities of setting and hence artificial geographic divisions would
up machinery to bring such a body into being. be avoided.
Once established, the inherent and traditional (viii) Artists' branches would relate to existing
democratic nature of a Trade Union would local branChes, and hence isolated struggles
demand the dissolution of the Policy Group and would be avoided. If there are insufficient
the holding of elections to determine both artists to form a branCh within a partiCular
officers and policies. area, then artists could effectively funCtion
3 Affiliation to the Trade Union Congress within the local union branch.
(i) A Union affiliated to the TUC would 6 Why the AssoCiation of ScientifiC, TeChnical
gain from the political strength of that and Managerial Staffs ?
organization, together with direct and Credible (i) A.S.T.M.S. has a reputation for both
access to industry and local government. militancy and initiative, and has an
(ii) Unions and associations outside the aggressively expansionist poliCy. Its negotiating
TUC are generally benevolent organizations record is good, and it has an extremely strong
which exist to protect the rights of their usually Parliamentary Committee of eighteen M.P.s
professional members. They have no direct and five Peers.
political identity, and their role is defensive. (ii) It is affiliated to the TUC and the Labour
(iii) The visual arts is the only area of the Party, and has agreed not to register under the
creative arts not represented within the TUC. Industrial Relations ACt.
4 The Industrial Relations Act (iii) It is one of the few Unions which has
The standing of the Trade Unions is expressed more than a formal interest in the
complicated, if not threatened by the recent arts. It has a Publishing Branch for publishing
Industrial Relations Act, under which unions employees and writers and has reCently
must register with the Government body, 'The reCruited staff from the British Film Institute.
Registrar of Trade Unions and Employers It has Close relations with Equity and the
Associations'. On 18 MarCh, 1971 at a specially AssoCiation of Cinematographic, Television
convened conference, the TUC General and allied Technicians, and there is therefore a
Council `advise(d) its members not to become structure for a united cultural front.
registered under the ACt' and there has been a (iv) BranChes of A.S.T.M.S. are required to
subsequent boyCott by the majority of meet bi-monthly, and democratic control rests
affiliated unions. Whereas it would be firmly in the hands of membership.
Comparatively easy to form a Society of Artists (v) A.S.T.M.S. is prepared to offer the
and register it, this would be totally divorced autonomy and structure outlined in 5(iii).
from the Trade Union structure. (vi) A.S.T.M.S. has sixteen geographic
5 An Autonomous Union within the TUC or divisions including Wales, Belfast and Dublin
Branch Status within an Existing Union ? and de-Centralization is a firm policy.
(i) The wide implications of the Act outlined THESE BENEFITS, TOGETHER WITH
in (4) make it difficult, if not unlawful, to form THE UNANIMOUS ADVICE RECEIVED
an effective non-registered union. FROM ALL SOURCES, CAUSED THE
(ii) A considerable amount of time would POLICY GROUP TO OPEN
elapse before the TUC would consider a NEGOTIATIONS WITH A.S.T.M.S. ON
request for affiliation. There is no guarantee DEC. 6TH, 1971 WITH A VIEW TO
that such a request would be granted. SETTING UP AN ARTISTS BRANCH. IT
The Artists' Union: General Aims (iii) Branch status within an existing union IS HOPED THAT ARTISTS WILL
To bring the handling of decisions affecting would provide autonomy with regard to poliCy ENROL AND CREATE FOR
artists into the hands of artists themselves. making for the visual arts, and at the same time THEMSELVES AN EFFECTIVE UNION
To help the living arts perform the vital would enable members to fully partiCipate in VOICE. q
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