The ITV strike of 1979 | ITV News

August the 9th 1979 trouble was brewing for Britain's only commercial television channel the evening headlines might well have sounded like this ITV technicians wanted 25 percent rise or they'll strike Network bosses tell them it's 15 percent and no more screens could go blank from tomorrow and they did 14 of the 15 regional ITV companies went off the air on August the 10th and stayed off for 11 weeks viewers switching on channel 3 were met with this apology caption strangely it often got ratings of around a million from TVs left on in the hope that the strike would end across the country ITV Studios stood empty and silent there was no Coronation Street no Emmerdale farm no crossroads and of course no commercials Dave Peregrine was a vision engineer and an official for the technicians union the AC TT his members had no gripe with their own ITV managers but it was won out all out there had been disputes before over in a week or two perhaps 11 weeks was exceptional I think some of the company bosses wanted to take some extended summer holidays journalists and support staff weren't on strike but they couldn't make programs without the camera crews and technicians lifelong friends and present-day rivals in regional television news Bob Worman and Nick Owen were both caught up in the 79 shutdown we were officially laid off when we we were but we were a member of a union that wasn't involved the National you know journalist so we we just got paid amazingly but we didn't know that was gonna happen to notice it was a bit worrying about stress yes it was because at that time the interest rates were very very high I think probably about 16 17 % and if you had a mortgage you know that was serious stuff in one part of the British Isles ITV had actually stayed on air staff at channel TV in Jersey ignored the strike fearing it could bankrupt their tiny company but while offshore viewers may do with a cobble together schedule of repeats and US cop dramas talks between the Union and the mainland ITV companies dragged on through September as for the strikers themselves it was an opportunity to make the most of their unexpected time off in their own way some of the girls did some of the piays did secretarial work yeah I didn't I sort of thought oh I'll get a job and then went to Spain very cheaply staydry the frickin a friend's flat and just enjoyed myself really you came around today one day and we sat in the guard in the Sun drinking with sherry I think that's right right into the autumn the AC T T's general secretary Alan sapper stared down ITV's bosses and it was the bosses who blinked first we sat it out for 11 weeks and eventually of course we came back begging for mercy and we reached a settlement that was much higher than what they've been asking for more striking over in the first place on October the 24th 1979 the apology caption was finally updated and the Mike Sam's singers cheerily announced [Music] the first face back on screen was ITN newscaster Leonard Parkin happy to put it all behind him good evening again it's good to be back again so let me simply say let's get on with it the bulletin also reported from Coronation Street where time had stood still while the stars waited patiently for the rover's return decorate him and things like that get him a home sort of together nothing very very exciting and waiting for the phone call to come back television and radio 1980 the IBA s latest handbook on independent television and independent local radio there's nothing in here about the strike which had crippled ITV just a few months beforehand but it cost the network companies a hundred million pounds in lost advertising revenue the settlement took the average technicians salary from 8,000 pounds a year to eleven thousand six hundred and twenty pounds an increase of 45% some say the Union had the bosses over a barrel others that it was a fair settlement for the time but it was 75 days without ITV leaving viewers with just well the other lot and in the end nobody wanted that Andy Bevan [Music] you [Music]

Channel: ITV News

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Length: 4min 55sec (295 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 09 2019