ArtsPay

A survey commissioned by the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (Bectu) suggests that industrial disputes in the US are having a significant adverse effect on the UK’s film and TV workforce.

The union questioned nearly 4,000 freelance film and TV workers in this country about the impact strike action by American writers and actors has had on their employment, finances and mental health.

Three-quarters of the survey respondents reported currently not working, and 80% said their employment had been directly impacted by the US industrial disputes.

Over a third of participants said that they are struggling to pay household bills, rent or mortgages, while 90% said that they were worried about their financial security, 

Nearly a quarter said they did not see themselves working in the industry in five years' time.

Commenting on the survey results, the head of Bectu, Philippa Childs, said, “Much of the rhetoric surrounding the US dispute is about the actors, but as our survey shows, the impact on crew and other film and TV workers is severe and cannot be underestimated.

“This is a workforce that has already faced incredible hardship throughout and following the pandemic and has now been hit by a second crisis in just a few years. 

“Many of our members have been laid off from productions under ‘force majeure’ clauses with little notice or pay, and with 6 in 10 respondents telling us they are struggling with their mental health, it’s clear the impact also extends beyond financial insecurity.

“For too long, we have seen a pattern of engaging crew where they are picked up and dropped again with little notice, protection or reassurances about future employment. They are often the first to suffer and the hardest hit when production is impacted.

“The government is vocal about the huge cultural and economic value of the creative industries; it must put its money where its mouth is and look after those who work in the sector. Likewise, urgent industry collaboration and commitment from employers to support the freelance workforce is critical if we want to UK to remain a cultural hub.”

The British Museum has offered to pay translator Yilin Wang for her work, after she alleged her poetry translations had been plagiarised.

Last week, the museum removed a segment of its China’s Hidden Century exhibition after the writer said she received neither credit nor payment for her translations of work by Chinese revolutionary Qiu Jin.

The museum said that it had issued an apology for the “unintentional human error” and had “offered financial payment for the period the translations appeared in the exhibition, as well as for the continued use of quotations from their translations in the exhibition catalogue”. 

The museum described the matter as “an inadvertent mistake”. It has offered Wang payment in line with its usual rates, The Guardian reported.

Museum staff spent years working on the exhibition, which includes 300 objects and research from more than 100 scholars from 14 countries. Some staff and curators were subject to “unacceptable” attacks on social media and through emails after the plagiarism allegations, the museum claims.

“We stand behind our colleagues fully and request those responsible for these personal attacks to desist as we work with Yilin Wang to resolve the issues they have raised concerning the use of their translations within the exhibition,” it said.

Academics who have previously worked with the museum have written to express their concern, including Julia Lovell, Professor of Modern Chinese History and Literature at Birkbeck University and one of the principal researchers of the exhibition, who said she was “in full sympathy with Ms Wang’s anger”. 

“It was a genuinely accidental, unmalicious human error amid a very complex project, for which the British Museum have apologised profusely and sincerely, and sought to make amends,” she said.

In a statement on Twitter, Wang said that the museum had told her it would not be reinstating her translations in the exhibition. Her work is acknowledged in the exhibition’s catalogue.

Actors and stage managers working in the West End will receive a 16% pay rise over two years, under new rates agreed by Equity and the Society of London Theatre.

The updated SOLT/Equity Agreement for West End Theatre Artists will run from April 2023 to April 2026, covering performers and stage managers.

It agrees an increase of at least 10% to minimum rates across all pay brackets year-on-year for the period of April 3, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

For the year beginning April 1, 2024, all pay brackets will increase by around 5% of the 2023-24 rate, marking a total increase of 16% over two years.

Rates for the final year of the agreement have yet to be calculated but they are set to increase in line with the consumer price index figure published by the Office for National Statistics in February 2025, plus 0.5%, subject to a minimum increase of 2% and a maximum of 5%, The Stage reported.

Equity had initially campaigned for a 17% pay rise in the first year of the agreement, with an additional rise of 10% in the second year.

The final new agreement will see rates of pay for performers and stage managers rise in line with theatre sizes, based on an eight-show minimum week with increased rates for 12-show weeks.

Rates for workers at theatres with a capacity of 1,100 or more will rise from £757.84 per week to £880.10 by April 2024.

Rates at theatres with a capacity of 800 to 1,099 will rise from £689.37 to £800.58 and rates at theatres with up to 799 seats will rise from £620.29 to £720.36.

The agreement also includes a 33% increase to swing fees of up to £120 a week and a 12.5% increase to dance captain fees up to £135 a week.

“Given the current economic difficulties facing both SOLT and Equity members, these negotiations were always going to be difficult and challenging,” said Robert Noble, chair of the SOLT negotiating committee. 

“However, through constructive dialogue and a professional approach by all those involved in in the negotiation process, a settlement has been reached that acknowledges the commitment and support shown by Equity members during the pandemic and seeks to address, as far as is possible, the continuing economic challenge that we all continue to face.”

He added that the settlement has received “the very strong support of members of both organisations”.

Paul W. Fleming, General Secretary of Equity, said the “excellent deal” marks the start of a process that will see trials of a five-day rehearsal working week.

“Our strong, constructive, but robust industrial relations have delivered a meaningful shift in pay and conditions at a time of extraordinary pressure for bosses and workers alike,” he said.
 

As part of Norwich’s designation as a Living Wage City, Norwich Theatre, Royal has signed up to the Living Wage Foundation’s Real Living Wage scheme, awarding pay increases of at least 10% to eligible Theatre Royal and Playhouse staff.

Eligible full-time employees will receive an average pay increase of 10.3%, while variable-hour employees will see their hourly pay rise 14.7%.

The theatre’s decision to join the scheme comes amid a three-year plan, spearheaded by the city council, to significantly expand the number of employers in Norwich paying the Real Living Wage.

As of April 1, the government's National Living Wage is £10.42 per hour for workers aged 23 and over. The minimum wage for workers aged 21 and 22 is £10.18, with those aged 18 to 20 receiving £7.49 and under-18s and apprentices £5.28.

The Real Living Wage – which is calculated based on the cost of living – is higher, with participating businesses agreeing to pay any employee aged 18 and older at least £10.90 per hour, rising to £11.95 in London.

“The news that one of our key cultural institutions is to become a Real Living Wage Employer is tremendous and a significant boost to the campaign to ensure everyone across Norwich gets a decent wage,” said Norwich City Council leader Alan Waters.