Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014 - 12

It's easy to join BECTU

Help us to help
BECTU membership offers a host of benefits -
and recruiting more members will give you a
stronger voice at work.

Gerry Morrissey

W

CULTURA
CULTURA- REX / ABOVE: MARK DIMMOCK

When you've
finished
reading this,
please pass
it to a
colleague and
encourage
them to join
BECTU

elcome to BECTU's Recruitment
Special. Over 24,000 members
benefit from BECTU's professional
services, but at least that number
again are eligible for membership. This edition
is a summary of our main benefits and services.
If you are reading this and you are not a
member, please seriously consider joining
and start benefiting immediately. If you are a
member, please make sure you are aware of
all the benefits that come with your BECTU
membership. When you are finished with
this edition, please pass it to a colleague and
encourage them to join BECTU.
BECTU's ability to protect jobs, pay and
conditions of employment is dependent upon
the size of our membership. A good example of
this are annual pay negotiations: where we have
a strong membership we get better deals. In
2015 BBC members will get a pay increase of
2.5% despite the BBC licence fee being frozen.
This was only achieved because union members
were prepared to make a stand. Why would an
employer want to give inflation-plus pay awards
if they didn't have to? Low pay and job insecurity

"Being in BECTU
improved our
working conditions"

is like a cancer in our industries but by joining
BECTU and negotiating collectively we can
eradicate low pay. After six months of
campaigning our members at the Ritzy Cinema
have received a 26% pay increase; this is only
the start of a journey to achieving a Living Wage.
A non-unionised workforce has no voice. Staff
and freelancers often get treated badly, have no
contracts, statutory minimum holidays, sick pay,
maternity leave or paternity leave. Independent
research shows unionised jobs pay more, provide
better conditions of employment and afford
better job security. BECTU scrutinises companies'
proposals, we make employers justify their
actions.
NO UNION, NO VOICE

Half of BECTU's 24,000 plus members are
freelance. Being a freelance means the services
the union provides to freelances are different
from the ones we give to employees. Read more
about these benefits in this edition.
None of us wants to have to take legal action
to get justice. Whether it's monies owed for work
provided, breach of contract, unfair dismissal or
discrimination. Not only is the law complicated,

Strength in numbers

Recruiting your colleagues into the union and then working
together for a common aim is the secret of the union's
success.
"I originally joined the union for job security and to have some
Members working at the production company Lime
support when many staff were being bullied in my cinema. Our
Pictures recruited their colleagues in order to oppose
campaign for the Living Wage started shortly after and soon we
management plans to overhaul production schedules,
became part of a much bigger, national struggle for fair pay. Being in
move to buy-out contracts and to have the option to
BECTU has improved our working conditions and helped numerous
make changes to contractual benefits in future without
individual cases but I have also learnt a lot on a personal level. Not
consultation. Union membership shot up at the
only have I gained a better knowledge of the law and workers' rights,
company and with their increased strength in
I have also become more confident in myself. The most rewarding
numbers, over several months they negotiated a
thing about being in the union is the camaraderie and the sense of
renewed agreement with management, persuading
being part of a wider movement. Together with BECTU, our
them to drop the unwelcome proposals and bring in
friends over at The Ritzy and BFI and supporters in other
annual pay talks with the union.
unions, we've campaigned and worked hard to improve
In the theatre industry, BECTU's strength in numbers has
rights for workers across our industry. I've had so
enabled the union to negotiate better pay agreements for
much fun along the way and it really feels like we
members than would have been the case without union
can only get stronger together. I'm even
organisation. Addressing the widespread low pay within
convincing my dad to join!"
theatres is a priority. The new pay agreement with UK Theatre
Kerri Sandell
includes a higher percentage increase for the lowest paid.
12

Stage Screen & Radio October/November 2014
Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014

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