SAG to hold new vote on game contract

Following the refusal of the Screen Actors Guild's national board to accept the proposed contract for videogame performances (full story here), union leaders have announced that a new referendum is to be held.

According to Hollywood newspaper Variety, games publishers have agreed to keep the offer open for an additional month - giving SAG bosses time to persuade rebels to accept the deal.

The offer will now end on July 31. SAG members will receive new voting papers on July 13, to be returned by July 28.

At present, the minimum wage for a four hour voice recording session is set at USD 556. The new contract would increase this to USD 695 with immediate effect, rising to US 759 by 2008. However, some SAG members are holding out for a deal that would earn actors royalties based on game sales.