140 A major development for BECTU in terms of training activity has been the decision by the 1999 annual conference to appoint a Training Officer. NO Trish Lavelle has taken on the role of BECTU Training Officer, on a three days per week basis. The Training Committee has clearly expressed its preference for a full-time post, but has understood and noted the reasons this would not be possible. The new post will take on board some of the duties formerly carried out by Deputy General Secretary Roy Lockett but will also identify new areas of work and work closely with the industrial divisions of BECTU to agree learning priorities for their members.
141 Since BECTU's 1999 conference, the Training Committee has said goodbye to DGS Roy Lockett, a tireless champion for training issues within BECTU, the wider trade union movement and the cultural industries. Roy's contribution has been greatly missed since his retirement in August 1999, and it was fitting that the autumn of 1999 saw the launch of two ground breaking training initiatives which had benefited directly from his involvement: the Skills Investment Fund, and 'Spotlight on Skills' - the training needs analysis commissioned jointly by SOLT and BECTU, in association with Metier.
142 The Skills Investment Fund was officially launched in October 1999 and is the major achievement of the Training Group of the Film Policy Action Group. Managed by Skillset through its Training Investment Committee, this Fund is resourced through a voluntary levy on all UK feature film production. From the 1 September 1999 all films (features, documentaries and shorts) intended for theatrical first release, whether partially or wholly shot in the UK are expected to contribute to the fund. Productions contribute 0.5% of their budgets up to a maximum of £39,500. Initially, the fund will target four priority areas identified in 1998 by the Film Policy Review Group: new entrant training in craft, technical and production grades, training for production accountants, NVQ delivery and assessment, and health and safety training. BECTU is represented on the Skillset Training Investment Committee by the Training Officer.
143 The success of the Film Policy Action Group has heralded a new cross industry initiative. Skillset and the Department for Culture Media and Sport have convened the Audio Visual Industries Training Group. This Group comprises senior representatives from the Industry with BECTU's General Secretary representing the interests of the Federation of Entertainment Unions. The group is charged with investigating and reporting on current and future skills needs in broadcasting and the electronic media, and with making recommendations on the training solutions that will be required to maintain the competitiveness of the UK industry. The Training Committee welcomes this development and looks forward to working with the Group. BECTU's submission to the Audio Visual Industries Training Group is being compiled after consultation with the Training Committee and the relevant industrial divisions and officials.
144 'Spotlight on Skills' was published in November 1999 This is the first major training needs analysis undertaken by the theatre industry, and it also represents a sector first in that it was achieved through the adoption of a more collaborative approach between the union and the Society of London Theatre. This process was greatly assisted by the involvement of the National Training Organisation, Metier. It has provided us with a fascinating insight into the make-up of the workforce, highlighting the substantial levels of skill, experience and knowledge that exist. However, the results clearly demonstrate that there are serious and significant skills gaps in nearly all areas of the workforce, compounded by the almost total lack of opportunities for training and development or formal qualifications. The report makes clear recommendations for addressing training and development needs and skills gaps, and the Training Officer in conjunction with the relevant officials and the West End Theatres SDC is currently engaged in talks with SOLT to agree a way of taking the these forward.
145 'Spotlight on Skills' has now helped to set the agenda for a new approach to training in the theatre sector. It begins to address the culture of under-investment and the undervaluing of skills in the workforce. It has also demonstrated that there are real benefits for employers in working with unions on learning issues, and further benefits to be gained from the appropriate involvement of the NTO Metier. The key issues of how to resource and implement provision of a structured programme of training for theatre workers in the West End must now be addressed. A key strand of this work must be the implementation of recognised vocational qualifications. The union is actively engaged in identifying the funding opportunities that will support this work, including European Social Fund, Union Learning Fund and private sector contributions. This research clearly has implications for the wider theatre industry, and the union will be submitting proposals for a joint training policy to the Theatrical Management Association to start this debate beyond the London West End.
146 In Scotland, the establishment of the Scottish Theatres Technical Training Trust (S4T) in 1995 has given BECTU the opportunity to be part of a cross-industry approach to the training needs of Scotland's theatres. S4T's membership, consisting of just under 40 organisations and venues, covers 80% of theatre technical staff. It offers vocational training and is currently piloting a training needs analysis service. T he union is currently engaged in discussions with this organisation with a view to running training projects for our members in partnership with employers. S4T is one of three emerging regional/national consortia in the theatre sector, the others being in the North West and the East Midlands. Of these only S4T has BECTU involvement, and clearly it will be a priority for the union to ensure that there is appropriate union representation on all such organisations.
147 This approach is of course well established in the broadcasting, film, video, and new media sectors. BECTU is currently represented on all the Skillset regional and national Training Consortia. The Training Committee is committed to improving consultation and communication with both the consortia and our representatives on them, and to ensuring that BECTU continues to apply a consistent approach in matters of policy. In order to achieve this the Training Officer will visit each of the consortia during the first half of 2000, and the Training Committee will ensure that there is an annual opportunity for our representatives on these bodies to exchange views and attend briefings.
148 The Skillset London Forum has provided a new addition to the network of regional and national Training Consortia. With such a heavy concentration of our members living and working in and around London this is a welcome development for BECTU, with cross industry co-operation providing a clear strategy for the identification of skills and training needs and the delivery of training solutions. As with the other consortia, BECTU is represented on the steering group of the Forum, and actively consults with members on new initiatives and schemes for London. Projects initiated by the forum include a Training Needs Analysis scheme in the areas of digital and business skills, as well as the Production Managers Training Scheme currently being delivered by FT2 (Film and Television Freelance Training).
149 The BECTU Skillsbase Project in its pilot phase has been well received by clients and is highly regarded as an innovative and model scheme by the TUC. From April the scheme is expected to be enlarged, to meet the anticipated increase in demand. New advisors will be appointed and trained and there will be a 50% increase in client numbers. The Training Committee has noted with pleasure the success of Skillsbase and has appreciated the hard work and commitment from all involved in this achievement, in particular the Project Manager Trisha Boland (who left in March 2000 to take up the post of Production Talent Manager with Granada) and her assistant Hilary Irving. The challenge now facing the Project team is to establish and consolidate Skillsbase through wider industry support and a more secure funding base. The lessons learned in establishing the scheme will be put to good use in exploring the further provision of learning services to members in all of BECTU's industrial divisions. (Paragraphs on the Skillsbase Project appear below.)
150 The Training Committee continues to work closely with Skillset in the development, implementation and promotion of S/NVQs for the industry. In 1999 the Department for Education and Employment agreed to make a one-off grant to Skillset to fund 1,900 NVQs in our industry. The grant provided a 100% subsidy for undertaking NVQs in camera, sound, lighting, grips, research, health and safety, and NVQ assessors and NVQ internal verifiers. BECTU actively promoted this scheme through branch meetings and the journal, and the response from members was excellent. In the Grips branch alone over 80 members have registered for NVQs, an astonishing 75% of the branch.
151 Promoting NVQs is the theme of a project that the TUC and DfEE are piloting. Working closely with the Federation of Entertainment Unions (FEU), the aim is to encourage trade unions to promote NVQs to their members. BECTU's track record in this area has meant that we are taking a leading role in terms of provision of information and case histories and links to the NTOs in the cultural sector. This project will culminate in a one-day seminar aimed at senior full-time and lay officials from the Federation of Entertainment Unions.
152 Lifelong Learning issues are providing a number of opportunities in which the FEU members can work more closely. The sister unions have now submitted a bid to the Union Learning Fund to support a feasibility study into the establishment of FEU learning resource centres. The unions have a high proportion of atypical workers (freelances, temporary workers and casuals), who all experience difficulty in accessing traditional training and development opportunities. If successful the feasibility study will identify opportunities for closer working in the provision of learning services, and will explore the resourcing implications for these.
153 Additionally, the FEU have worked with Metier to produce a guide for Union Learning Representatives in the cultural industries and will be tailored to the particular needs of the atypical workforce in this sector. The guide will be available to branches and members later in the year, and will prove to be an invaluable resource for BECTU representatives who are involved in training issues.
Proposition 21/00 (AP28) Competent personnel
That this annual conference proposes the introduction of an approved list of competent Art Department personnel to ensure both safety in the workplace and quality of service.
Art Department
Skillsbase
154 Skillsbase is the first free UK training and career guidance service dedicated to freelances in the audio-visual industry. It is funded by European Union ESF funding, by Skillset (the National Training Organisation for Broadcast, Film, Video and Multimedia) and by the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE)'s new Union Learning Fund for England and Wales. The project has been running as a pilot since December 1998 and has been delivering advice and guidance interviews since July 1999 helping freelances to:
- develop a career action plan
- identify skills gaps and training opportunities, and
- identify possible sources of funding for training.
156 In its first year Skillsbase has:
- developed and delivered an on-going training programme which has included the achievement of relevant NVQ units in advice and guidance, and training from specialist industry trainers.
- appointed eight advisers, all of whom are experienced media freelances and BECTU members
- developed an administrative structure to deal with marketing, making appointments, budgeting, monitoring, information exchange, support for advice staff and project development.
- produced a Service Manual as a reference document for all involved with the project and which can inform future development of the service for other divisions in BECTU and other organisations interested in developing a similar service.
- developed the service delivery in line with the Guidance Council's Standards for Learning and Work. The project is working towards Guidance Council accreditation in their Quality Standards for Learning and work in 2000.
- delivered careers guidance interviews in London (where the majority have been held), Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol, and interviews are planned in Wales, funded separately by the Wales Union Learning Fund.
- appointed an independent evaluator for the scheme who has developed and run an evaluation system which can be adapted to continue after the pilot period.
- developed a collection of information resources for advisers and clients, constantly up-dated and expanded. This includes resource materials developed specifically for the Skillsbase project.
158 At the time of writing the pilot is due to end in March 2000, with a further 30 clients to see in England (bringing the total clients seen in England to 150), and 30 clients to see in Wales. There is funding to keep the project team (manager and assistant) in place until the end of May 2000 to develop the website.
The future of Skillsbase
159 Given the success of the project, the NEC has given its full backing to continuing the project for a second year. Funds are currently being/will be sought from a range of sources: the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE)'s Union Learning Fund for England and Wales, the European Social Fund (ESF) existing Adapt programme, and the new Objective 3 programme due to come on stream in June 2000. We are also approaching employers for support. Unfortunately there is no funding source to run the service in Northern Ireland and Scotland at present.
160 The BECTU Skillsbase Steering Group (BSSG) agreed the future plan for the project. The BSSG agreed that in order to continue, the project needed its present staffing structure (manager and assistant). Given the level administration required to deliver and develop the service, the management of Skillsbase was not something the training officer could take on at this stage. Funding for the Skillsbase posts is due to expire at the end of May, and renewal of the contracts will be dependent on securing further external funds.
161 The target group for Skillsbase in year two will remain the same i.e. established freelances in the AV industries. Given the relatively short time the project has been seeing clients (six months) the BSSG thought it important to consolidate our experience of working with this group. The BSSG recognised that extending the service to other sectors e.g. theatres would divert development time and money away from consolidation of the existing Skillsbase service. However the forward plan for 2001 will address how the project can be extended to other divisions.
162 The core activities from April will be:
- The one-to-one Advice and Guidance Service. This will continue to be offered using the same model developed in the pilot phase, as it is clear from the mid-term review that the model works and it is a service that is valued by freelances. Following the results of the final evaluation of the pilot phase, we will be introducing a fee for the service (members will pay less than non-members), but the service will still require a subsidy. The maximum number of clients we aim to see in England and Wales from April 2000 to March 2001 is 300.
- Workshops. The review demonstrated that there is a high demand for advice on self-marketing and CV-writing among clients that could be best met by developing workshops. The workshops would also provide an 'entry' into the one-to-one advice and guidance service. Skillsbase will develop two half-day workshops, one on 'Writing effective CVs' and the other on 'Marketing yourself as a freelance'. We would aim to hold a maximum of eight workshops per subject over the year holding a maximum of 15 people per workshop. The maximum number of clients we aim to see in the year is 240.
History Project
164 Since its inception in 1986 by a volunteer group of senior ACTT members the History Project has developed to become the foremost oral history archive devoted to the film and television industries in the UK. It is now extending its range across the wider audio visual spectrum covered by BECTU. Some five hundred individuals representing a wide range of disciplines have recorded their personal memories of working lives and skills, thereby creating a unique resource for future historians.
165 Further recordings will continue as ongoing activity but the enormous backlog of tape urgently needs to be transcribed for easy access. Since this is budgeted at many thousand pounds (or Euro) an application is in careful and hopeful preparation for an English Heritage Lottery grant to cover the costs of this, subsequent digitisation, and creating public access. Fund raising is always a continuing necessity and a major accession this year has been a sizeable grant by the Krasna-Krausz Foundation to begin transcription.
166 The Project continues to provide assistance and information to researchers for radio and television productions, book histories and biographies, academic papers, etc. Alfred Hitchcock's centenary year was an especially busy time.
167 Since his retirement in August 1999, Roy Lockett, a longtime friend of the Project, has been warmly welcomed as a participant and has become very active in its affairs. He now chairs the strategic working party and has been elected as vice chair of the main committee.
168 The Project has productive dealings with a diverse range of other organisations, including the BFI, the National Film and Television Archive, BAFTA, the National Sound Archive at the British Library, the CTBF (for whom a promotional exercise is purposed), and with several universities including the Bill Douglas Centre at Exeter, with which a special relationship is developing.
169 Advice and assistance has also been provided to Hertsmere Council which is preparing a travelling exhibition to highlight the film orientated history of Elstree and Borehamwood.
170 However, in contrast to these positive undertakings two matters give special concern. The recruitment of new blood among younger generations of BECTU members is essential in order that these unique activities survive and continue. It is also regrettable, given the many skills practised by the membership, that the archive is weighted heavily towards film and television production. Volunteers are therefore urgently solicited from all BECTU divisions. If you have a care that your working history and that of your craft are recorded for posterity you will be very welcome as a volunteer member of the Project. It meets regularly on the second Wednesday of each month at 10.30am at head office.
Recruitment and retention
171 The NEC has continued to monitor the recruitment and retention strategies across the union, and at its meeting on the 26 September 1999 it endorsed the strategy put forward by AGSs Gerry Morrissey and Marilyn Goodman for their respective areas which are attached as Appendices E and F.
Recruitment and retention in the BBC, IB and A&E divisions
172 The strategy for the year 2000 is for the union to make visits to each regional ITV and BBC site, with the larger venues receiving two or three visits a year. At the same time visits will be made to the local theatres. Prior to each visit all members and non-members at each site to be visited will be written to advising them of the activities that will take place during the visit. This will ensure that we reach as many members and non-members as possible across each area. In the London area special recruitment weeks have been arranged for BBC Central London and BBC West London, the London ITV companies, and London theatres. In total the effort of the equivalent of one and a half national officials will be spent solely on recruitment and retention.
173 The Cinema subdivision has outlined its own recruitment campaign which concentrates quite heavily on the front of house areas within the three chains at which BECTU currently has individual representation rights.
174 The Employment Relations Act offers us the possibility of breaking into new sites, and the Leisure subdivision is looking at this piece of legislation, in addition to the Part Time Workers Directive, as a tool for recruiting members within that industry.
175 The largest employer we are targeting under the Employment Relations Act is BSkyB with the sites at Osterley and the subscription centres in Scotland being targeted for monthly visits. At the time of writing we were having some success, but by no means enough to win automatic recognition.
Overview of industrial activity in the BBC, IB and A&E divisions
176 This report deals elsewhere with the government's decision on the Gavyn Davies report and the future of BBC Resources Limited and BBC Worldwide (see paragraphs 104ff and 194ff). The cost of programme-making across the industry has been driven down and this has a subsequent knock-on effect on staff and the terms and conditions under which they are employed. The BBC, which is the largest employer in the industry, is not immune to these changes and continued to push for a minimum of 5% efficiency savings each year. This continues to result in several rounds of redundancies each year and the staff head count in the BBC is gradually decreasing. However we have had a significant success in gradually moving the BBC away from fixed term contracts to permanent contracts, especially in the Production Directorate. The BBC has continued to refuse to move in the same direction in relation to its World Service operation.
Proposition 22/00 Transfer of Undertakings Regulations
That this annual conference seeks a speedy revision of the TUPE regulations to include especially a redundancy option for those to be transferred which might be taken by those affected together with any attendant procedures relevant to their present conditions of service.
Information Technology Services
177 In the last few months we have seen the merger between Carlton and United News & Media, with the distinct possibility that Granada will also try to increase its share of the ITV network. The day when one company owns the entire ITV network seems to be coming closer, and the union is expecting the government to relax the ownership regulations in a new broadcasting act expected next year. The cable and transmission company, NTL, has continued to grow rapidly and BECTU has been able to increase its recognition base inside the company by another 2,500 people.
178 The theatre industry has seen a major change in ownership in the West End in the past few months. The Really Useful Company has bought out the major theatre owner, Stoll Moss, and at the time of writing ACT, the second biggest owner of West End theatres, was up for sale. The effects of Lottery funding are significant to our members, especially in regional theatres. Theatres are being provided with grants to refurbish their venues, but this results in staff being laid off or being made redundant for a period of at least one year while refurbishment takes place. Therefore the total union membership in theatres continues to be volatile.
179 The Virgin cinema chain was sold in October 1999 and was followed in February 2000 by Odeon. The smaller cinemas are being squeezed out by the multiplexes, and the union is constantly looking at proposals for closure and making efforts to redeploy all those staff who wish to be redeployed. It is likely that 2000 will prove no different.
Employment Relations Act
180 The government announced early in 1999 its intention to introduce an Employment Relations Act. This is the most wide-ranging employment relations legislation for twenty years, which improves the rights of union members. BECTU organised a one day conference for activists on the 29 March 1999. This was very successful and was addressed by John Hendy QC, Caroline Jones, Director of the Institute of Employment Rights, and Mary Stacey from Thompsons Solicitors, and was chaired by Tony Lennon. In addition the union has organised a roadshow in conjunction with Thompsons and has held meetings with BBC, ITV, Freelance and A&E members in Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Cardiff and London.
181 We have already seen the end of waiver clauses as a means of denying people the right to attend an Employment (formerly Industrial) Tribunal for unfair dismissal. The limit on compensatory awards for unfair dismissal was increased in October 1999 from £12,000 to £50,000. A new set of entitlements on maternity leave, parental leave and time off for dependants was introduced in December 1999. New rules on industrial action ballots, protection for unfairly dismissed strikers and the statutory trade union recognition scheme and associated provisions are expected to be introduced no later than the late summer of 2000. These improvements to employment rights and the rights of trade unionists are to be welcomed.
Arts & Entertainment
182 The main activities of the Arts and Entertainment division concerned dealing with the temporary or permanent closure of venues and consequent redundancy proposals, as well as collective bargaining at a local and national level. This applies equally to leisure venues, arts centres, cinemas and theatres.
TMA subdivision
183 Our collective agreement with the Theatrical Management Association (TMA) determines minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment for regional theatre employees. Minimum pay rates increased by 2.5%, with a slightly lower increase on get-out rates in October 1999.
184 The year 2000 will see the end of the five-year agreement covering conditions of employment. It is a main objective of the division to plan recruitment activities around the re-negotiation of the agreement.
CWET subdivision
185 The Commercial West End Theatres branch of the union has a collective agreement with the Society of London Theatres (SOLT) which determines minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment for staff employed in West End theatres. The year 2000 will bring the end to a three-year deal which has brought annual wage increases in excess of inflation, coupled with no changes to conditions of employment. As with the TMA Agreement, it is a main objective of the division to plan recruitment activities around the re-negotiation of this agreement.
186 As well as the main SOLT Agreement, BECTU also successfully negotiated collective agreements with Walt Disney Theatrical (UK) Ltd which produces shows in the West End, and with the New Millennium Experience Company which is responsible for the production at the Dome.
National Houses subdivision
187 The main purpose of this committee is to exchange information and to co-ordinate industrial activity within the four national companies.
188 The re-opening of the Royal Opera House in December 1999 was a significant event. It brought opportunities to successfully re-negotiate various departmental collective agreements and bring significant improvements to working practices. Staffing levels were increased as an alternative to employing casual labour, and staff who were employed on a seasonal basis are now permanent employees. Proposed redundancies in the finance department were withdrawn, while the time off in lieu arrangements for administration grades were satisfactorily clarified.
189 At the National Theatre, BECTU successfully secured a further pay increase at ACAS arbitration after the company had imposed a 3% increase in 1998. The 1999 pay negotiations achieved a further 3% increase. At the Royal Shakespeare Company a 3% pay increase for Barbican staff was agreed, coupled with improvements to conditions of employment. However, negotiations for RSC members based in Stratford made very slow progress.
190 At the English National Opera, a new agreement for staff employed in the running departments was eventually concluded. However, this was only concluded after a massive yes vote for industrial action and after lengthy conciliation sessions at ACAS. The downside of the agreement was that the agreed changes to conditions of employment entitled staff to opt for the redundancy package. Consequently, a number of members who had served the union faithfully for many years left the company.
Cinema subdivisions
191 1999 was characterised by a number of traditional cinema closures within the Odeon group, and more especially within ABC cinemas. The trend towards concentrating on multiplex cinemas continues unabated.
192 A new agreement with Virgin Cinemas, now owned by the European cinema group UGC, was eventually negotiated but the narrow margin of acceptance reflected the dissatisfaction of members. The Odeon subdivisional committee succeeded in negotiating a 2.5% pay award for all members, effective from the 1 January 2000. The negotiations were concluded with some haste as a consequence of an imminent announcement on the sale of the circuit to a then unnamed bidder. In February Cinven, a venture capital outfit and current owners of the ABC circuit, acquired Odeon, and announced plans to merge the chains.