Iger, 72, says decision by Sag-Aftra to recommend strike action ‘will have a very, very damaging effect on the business’

As a strike by Sag-Aftra appears imminent without a contract, the Disney chief executive, Bob Iger, has said writers and actors preparing to picket are not being “realistic” with their expectations, and that the threat of a strike is “disturbing”.



In an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Thursday morning, Iger said the decision by the actors’ and writers’ unions to go on strike was “very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from Covid, which is ongoing, it’s not completely back.

“This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption.”

Speaking to CNBC’s David Faber from the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, the 72-year-old said: “I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver.

“We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic.

“And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”

Iger spoke hours after the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) recommended strike action after a midnight deadline for negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) passed without a contract.

The Sag-Aftra president, Fran Drescher, said in a statement: “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics, and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal. We have no choice but to move forward in unity, and on behalf of our membership, with a strike recommendation to our national board.

Negotiators for Hollywood's actors union unanimously recommended a strike after talks with studios broke down, setting the stage for performers to join writers on picket lines as early as Thursday and disrupt scores of shows and movies.