Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015 - 17

For this to be seen as the best
option the following three key
objectives have to be met:
* protection of BECTU's identity
* protection and enhancement
of members' services
* protection of BECTU's staff
employment.
Prospect is a 113,000-strong
union with members in the civil
service, nuclear power, British
Telecom, museums and
galleries. An amalgamation
of unions between BECTU
and Prospect would make for
a strong, well resourced union
supporting members across
the UK.
Discussions will take place
between now and our annual
conference on 9 May 2015 at
which an interim report will be
made. No final decision can or
will be made before Annual
Conference 2016 and ultimately
members will have the final say
in a postal ballot later that year.
Every single employee of
BECTU, every member of the
NEC and myself are committed
to making sure that all workers

this has to be followed up by
legal action. BECTU's solicitors
have won hundreds of
thousands of pounds for
members this year.
As General Secretary one of
my responsibilities is to ensure
that the union represents
members, recruits new
members and at the same time
manage the union's finances.
We are on course to recruit over
5,000 members this year which
will result in a net gain of at
least 700 new members. Despite
the growth in membership,
the union's income continues
to drop. This is predominantly
due to members in permanent
better paid positions with
employers such as the BBC and
ITV being made redundant, and
an increase in the number of
members who are freelancers
and self-employed does not
replace the lost income. The
union is likely to end up with
a deficit in 2014 of £250,000.
This deficit can be covered by

monies the union has on
deposit, however a continuing
drop in income and the ongoing
concern with the deficit in the
BECTU Staff Retirement Scheme
has led to the NEC and myself
to enter into talks with another
union about amalgamation. The
NEC's preference is for BECTU
to remain an independent trade
union. However in order to
make the level of cuts we would
need to make to balance the
books, especially due to the
pension scheme deficit, which
will require an additional
£150,000-£200,000 a year of
funding from 2017, would result
in the union not being able to
deliver the same service to
members. This is unacceptable
to myself and the NEC and
therefore we have agreed to
enter into exclusive negotiations
with another union, Prospect,
to explore whether a merger
would be possible and whether
or not it would be beneficial to
BECTU and Prospect.

December/January 2015 Stage Screen & Radio

in our industry are properly
represented by BECTU and that
those who are not in the union
will be approached to join.
Whether we stay as an
independent union or whether
we join Prospect, we need
your support to convince
your colleagues out there
that BECTU is worth joining.
I hope that you believe that
the activities I have outlined and
the work you see BECTU doing
across the industry on issues
ranging from pay and conditions
to equality and training are
worth fighting for. Please urge
non-members to join BECTU
at www.bectu.org.uk/join.
I would like to thank you for
your support throughout 2014
and wish you and your families a
very Happy Christmas and healthy
and prosperous New Year.
Regards

Gerry Morrissey
General Secretary

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17
http://www.bectu.org.uk/join
Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015

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