Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015 - 14

Freelance

FAA makes progress
Background artists push back to achieve the rate for the job

he FAA has had a string of successes in overturning deals that had undercut the FAA-PACT
agreement and persuading the companies to
pay the official rate.
They won their fair deals on Mummy's Boys, New
Tricks, Cuckoo, Siblings, Wolf Hall, Downton Abbey,
Outcast and Sherlock. Much of this success can be
attributed to members taking advantage of the email
address deals@bectu.org.uk to where they sent as
many details as they could of attempts to breach the
agreement.
The union responded to the information left
there and intervened without letting anyone know
where the information came from. The result is that
hundreds of FAA members are better off.
FAA branch chair Peter McInerney is particularly
pleased with the success in persuading an agency to
rethink its plan to increase commission on a particular project. It was set to increase its commission rate
by 2% on Taurus, but following discussions they
decided against it.
"Two per cent may not sound like much, but why
should we lose another £2.40 (after VAT added) from
every £100 that we earn?" he said.
The result of this success has been an influx of new
members joining the branch, and the committee has
helped this by setting up another email address -
joinfaa@bectu.org.uk. Anyone emailing here will

Cast and crew during filming of New Tricks:
FAA members were paid the proper rate

receive an automated response with a pdf explaining
what the FAA and BECTU do. This was produced
collectively by the FAA committee members. BECTU
official Willie Lesslie says: "I am proud of the strides
the committee has made in the last few months. If
you come across any background artistes who are
not members, suggest they email in to find out what
they're missing out on."
l

Negotiations have begun
with PACT on a new TV
drama agreement to cover
all drama production
excluding high-end TV
productions and drama
serials (soaps).
At the first meeting on
26 November BECTU
representatives made clear
that the agreement would
have to set out going rates
rather than minimum
rates. "We would also not
be talking about different
budget levels for different
productions: the scope for
variation is so narrow it is
irrelevant," said BECTU
assistant General Secretary
Spencer Macdonald.
At the meeting the
employers tabled a grades
ladder and revealed that
they looked across a twoyear span which captured
70 productions in total.
BECTU will circulate the
grades ladder to all
departments for comments.
The next meeting of BECTU
reps is due mid-January.

Complaint to HMRC over unpaid work

BERETTA/ SIMS/ REX / NILS JORGENSEN/ REX

BECTU has written to Her Majesty's
Revenue and Customs to report a breach
of the Minimum Wage Act by a company
supplying make-up to the Miss World
pageant which, as the journal went to
press, was gearing up to its grand final
on 14 December.
The organisers of the pageant had
approached Ad Creative to supply the
makeup artists, but BECTU's professional
make-up artist members were outraged
when they discovered that Ad Creative
were looking for 100 make-up artists to
work for free. They were offering goody
bags and a credit that they had worked
on the show - but no money.
The makeup branch then went onto
social media to ask whether anyone
had been approached, and there was
widespread protest at this exploitation.
This was then reported more widely in
the national media.
When questioned, an Ad Creative
representative confirmed that this was the
case but that doing the makeup on Miss
World was a great opportunity. The union
rejects this: the law is the law. BECTU has

At lot of make-up required:
the Miss World pageant

now written to HMRC and to Creative
Skillset whose remit covers this area.
BECTU supervisory official Tom Bell
said: "It is regrettable that some training
organisations have encouraged students
to take on unpaid work and we have raised
the matter with Creative Skillset. Working

for free in these circumstances is unlawful
and is in breach of the Minimum Wage Act
and claims that workers are rewarded with
photographs of their work and goody bags
are laughable.
"Photographs and goody bags don't pay
the rent."

Stage Screen & Radio December/January 2015

Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015