Are new entrants still being exploited?
More than three years after the TV Wrap campaign, are new entrants working in film and television any better off?
Will exploitation of the young increase with the recession? (Picture: FT2)
Come to an open meeting hosted by BECTU’s Writers, Producers and Directors branch to give your view. Join the discussion at the Drill Hall, London on Tuesday 3 March from 1900 - 2130. All welcome; arrive early to be sure of entry.
Are the Work Experience Guidelines [414k pdf], published in 2007, being upheld by the industry and are they providing the vulnerable with the protection they need?
Will the current recession turn the clocks back on industry standards as established staff feel the pressure of budget cuts?
Low or nil pay
BECTU’s Assistant General Secretary Martin Spence and Sharon Goode from FT2 will address these questions and more at the Drill Hall. The discussion will be chaired by Benetta Adamson, producer, BECTU member and TV Wrap campaigner.
In the summer of 2005 the news and letters pages of the trade press were filled with stories of exploitation.
According to the reports, large numbers of the industry’s predominantly young new intake were suffering low or nil pay for extended periods, long hours and lack of structured support.
The few good examples of genuine work experience were overshadowed by the deluge of witness statements which told the same story: profitable employers were abusing their position in a market filled with new entrants keen to gain experience.
Too much was being asked of new entrants and often in breach of the National Minimum Wage regulations.
The calls for corrective action were heard by the then Department for Trade and Industry which commissioned Skillset to work with the industry to produce the Work Experience Guidelines published in 2007.
Join the debate and be part of renewed efforts to improve working conditions for the most vulnerable. Contact us for more information or to raise a query.
Event details
Overworked and Underpaid - A BECTU debate
Tuesday 3 March 2009
1900 - 2130
The Drill Hall
16 Chenies Street
London WC1E 7EX.
Monday 23 February 2009