Last updated 22:56, May 23 2018
THOMAS MANCH/STUFF
Event Cinemas staff and supporters protesting low pay outside Wellington's Embassy Cinema, chanting: "who's got the power, we've got the power".
Event Cinemas staff and supporters protesting low pay outside Wellington's Embassy Cinema, chanting: "who's got the power, we've got the power".
Event Cinemas is feeling the force of strike action hours before midnight screenings of a new Star Wars movie are set to begin.
Staff at Event Cinemas declared an intention to walk off the job at 10pm on Wednesday. The decision came after weeks of employment negotiations broke down this afternoon between Unite Union and the cinema chain's management.
The strike comes just before the midnight premiere of the new Star Wars movie, Solo: A Star Wars story, and rallies were planned outside Auckland and Wellington Events Cinemas showing the film - but the cinema chain vowed the screening would go ahead, as it labelled the strike "unlawful".
The latest Star Wars movie centres on Hans Solo, left, played by Alden Ehrenreich.
Outside Wellington's Embassy Theatre, cinema worker Jason Tolley told the crowd of 20 protesters that claims of shrinking cinema profits didn't match reports of record-breaking box office successes.
"If we can't get to the end of the week and afford to go to a movie — how is that fair?
"This company is making millions, this isn't right. We're not asking for the world, we're asking for parity."
Staff inside the cinema, watching the protest from the second floor, said the movie had "absolutely" gone ahead.
Hannah Agar, an organiser for Unite Union, said minimum wage job payment rates at Event Cinemas had risen in line with legislation but other wage rates for more senior positions had not experienced similar rises. This had lead to an unfair situation for more senior staff over time, she said.
"Our negotiations broke down literally in the past few days and they were actually going quite well in the preceding weeks."
Entry-level workers at one competing cinema chain were paid a similar amount to supervisors at Event Cinemas, she said.
Event Cinemas general manager Carmen Switzer said the strike would not impact "anything we're doing".
"Only a portion of people will be taking the action, there are other people who won't be."
Griffin said Event Cinemas had offered the union a four per cent wage increase during negotiations, the largest amount they had ever offered.
"We have advised Unite that we believe the strike action is unlawful."
Event Cinemas in Albany, Auckland, would see a smaller strike take place where workers refusing to sell food and beverages 10pm to 1am, Griffin said.
"We are committed to ensuring the impacts of the strike are minimal for our customers at Albany by having non-striking employees attend to food and beverage sales during the strike times."
The Ron Howard-directed Solo: A Star Wars Story is a prequel to the original trilogy and centres on the character of Han Solo, played by Alden Ehrenreich.
The Union planned to stage a protest outside Event Cinemas on Queen Street in Auckland from 10pm on Wednesday, Agar said.
"We love Star Wars, and I hope nobody feels that we're trying to target them for watching Star Wars."