Ongoing negotiations over working conditions on high-end television between UK producers authority Pact and crew union Bectu have hit a wall, with the former indicating that the latter’s proposals are not financially viable.
Charter terms offered last week on products costing up to 7 million pounds ($8.3 million) an hour were shorter working days, extra pay to set up and roll, pay for working non-social hours, an upper limit on overtime fees and pay for working days during Public holidays in double time. This applies to all written products including comics and children’s shows. The proposal also included the creation of a new budget scope for production that cost more than £7m an hour “with further improved terms to be negotiated with Bectu as a priority.”
On Monday, Bectu said those terms were unacceptable and that members would vote this week with a recommendation to reject the charter offer. Bectu President Philippa Childs said: “After receiving Pact’s proposal last week, we carefully considered it and consulted our representatives. While we appreciate that Pact has delivered an improved presentation, it does not adequately state the boundaries between business and personal time, and lacks the detail and clarity necessary for our members To feel confident that their concerns are addressed.For this reason, we recommend our members decline the offer.
We have been clear from the outset that the updated agreement needs to urgently address the crisis of long hours and welfare that our members face. The current view does not; Many of the improvements only apply to shooting hours/days, which reduces the value of work done outside of shooting hours, and there are loopholes that would allow production to schedule around penalties. We’re also pushing for an agreement that protects against abuse of set-up and wrap arrangements that we know are prevalent in TV dramas.
“This agreement will bring significant changes to the working life and well-being of our written television crew and it is imperative that we get them right. We look forward to continuing discussions with Pact to deliver an agreement that meets our goal of improving crew welfare, reducing excessive and unrelated hours, and supporting industry growth.”
However, Pact’s Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer, Max Romney, said on Tuesday: “Pact has made a progressive bid which is a serious attempt to address workplace conditions and work-life balance. It would be a regressive move that risks severe damage to UK TV script production. If it is rejected in favor of Bectu’s proposal to its members which is completely unworkable and has no chance of being implemented on production.
“Financial modeling by producers now shows that many products will not be filmed in the UK given the rising costs of Bectu’s alternative proposals – damaging the production ecosystem that has made the UK one of the best places in the world to make television. In many In a case, the proposed Bectu proposals make production operations more cost-effective without addressing work-life balance challenges the way we believe our flagship offerings do.
Bectu ended the collective agreement in operation since 2017 without a ballot. They are now voting only after we have asked them to, but they also submit their proposals unilaterally. They claim they still want a collective agreement, but if Pact’s offer is rejected, there will be no collective agreement after September 1st, and there will be no transparency or certainty about the terms of the business. Everyone — broadcasters, broadcasters, crew as well as independent producers who were negotiating in good faith — would lose if that happened. Bectu is playing a dangerous game.
“We have worked hard to address Bectu’s concerns point by point. If there is any lack of clarity on any part of our offer, they just need to ask. We urge its members to accept the new offer and work with us to continue progressing in workplace conditions.”
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