US actors' dispute looks set to drag on

The industrial dispute between US actors and TV and film producers is likely to continue through the summer after the Screen Actors Guild formally rejected a "final offer".

SAG bosses said they had offered concessions to the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers but the studios were unwilling to negotiate.

The AMPTP said it would not offer a deal on better terms than had already been agreed with directors' and writers' groups and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the smaller actors' union.

"The last thing we need is a long, hot summer of labour strife that puts even more pressure on a badly struggling economy and deprives audiences of the entertainment they clearly desire in such difficult times," said the AMPTP.

The SAG is unlikely to call a strike after losing the support of AFTRA, and studios may take advantage by stepping up production despite the lack of an overall agreement, according to Variety.

Major film projects were put on hold at the beginning of the month while television work has largely continued.