News – Equity considers child membership

Equity, the trade union that represents performers and artists, is considering extending its membership to cover children. Its decision has been prompted by the growing number of young people working in the field who dont have any legal protection. Currently children are represented by agents, but they are not able to intervene in disputes or assist in recovering payments in the way that a trade union would.
In 1969 children were eligible for temporary membership to Equity as union cards were a requirement for everyone working in entertainment. This was dropped in 1988 when legislation ruled against the closed shop system and the cards were no longer needed. The minimum age for youth members is now 14, and 16 for full members. Martin McGrath of Equity said, Child membership is something that we are looking into as part of an ongoing process. We needed to address questions such as could we legally represent them, given that children dont always sign their own contracts and if, in effect, we would be representing the workers or their parents, and how we could add to their protection. Equity is currently taking legal advice on the matter and hopes to have made a decision by the end of the year.