NEC Report to BECTU 2004 Conference paragraphs 103-253

The BECTU History Project

103. For some considerable time now there has been a misconception that the History Project is about a group of old codgers sitting around a table reminiscing about the old days. That is not what the History Project is about.

104. The History Project is a unique body run entirely by enthusiasts. People who feel the industry has given them a good living and would like to give something back. The History Project is made up of a committee from all sides of the industry, which meets regularly every second Wednesday of every other month. The History Project was founded in 1987, by a small group of members of what was then ACTT. The first to be recorded was Eric Cross. Since that humble beginning, the project has recorded a phenomenal 560 interviews. Had there been no BECTU History Project the working lives of individuals during a vitally important period in the growth and development of the film and broadcasting industry would have gone unrecorded.

105. The archive reflects a number of different histories - a history of technology, an economic history as well as a social and political history. A history of creativity, hard work, risk taking, budgets, funding, all the glorious anarchy and friction of people working creatively together, a history of human chemistry. As well as understanding the past we need to understand the present and the future of an industry so absolutely central to our society.

106. The BECTU History Project's archive has today become internationally and nationally acclaimed as one of the most valuable assets in the country and is regularly used by broadcasters, authors, academics, students, and indeed anyone wishing to study the history of our industry.

107. This year has been particularly eventful for the Project with developing an important role in education at every level. To this end the Internet is now taking the archive out to the public and to the kids in secondary education through websites like the BFI's Screenonline which goes to schools and libraries, the BUFVC's Cinema Newsreel website, the David Lean website, and the University of East Anglia website. These partnerships are crucial in continuing to develop the archive and its value to our society.

108. The Project's work culminated with the hugely successful Read my Lips event held at BAFTA on Wednesday 22 October 2003, sponsored by Sony, Radio Times and Skillset. This was designed to celebrate the Project's achievements, to publicise its work, and to act as a launch pad for the future. It was also aimed at recruiting new members and to generate more resources for new equipment and ultimately to generate a permanent human resource to manage the day to day growth of the Project and its activity.

109. Volunteers are crucial to the continued success of the Project and we want to persuade all those who work in our industry to act as our partners to give intelligence network on who can and who should be recorded. The BECTU History Project is a homage to those that have, still do and will work in an industry we all love so much.

Industrial overview

BBC Division

110. At the time of writing this report the biggest issue in the BBC division was the BBC's proposal to privatise its technology arm. The majority of the staff affected were previously in a limited company called BBC Technology Ltd. However the BBC informed BECTU that it believed it could save £20m to £30m each year by out-sourcing this work. 1,400 staff are affected by the proposal. BECTU has condemned the privatisation and demanded evidence that the prices charged by BBC Technology Ltd are out of line with the rest of the IT market. At the first meeting with the BBC on 2 December, they admitted that their price comparison exercises had not included all the services provided by BBC Technology Ltd, and had been confined to IT and telephony. BBC Technology Ltd also provides the BBC with services ranging from broadcasting and engineering to specialist technical consultancy. A verbal supplementary report will be provided.

Proposition 11/04 (AP15) BBC Technology sell-off

That this annual conference deplores the decision by the BBC to sell off BBC Technology Ltd. Conference pledges its full support to the campaign to persuade the government to stick to the policy of no privatisation adopted in 2000 during the public debate on the future of the BBC licence fee.

111. 2003 saw the second part of the two-year pay deal agreed in 2002. Members received 0.5% above the rate of inflation, which meant an award of 3.6%.

Independent Broadcasting Division

112. The creation of ITV plc as a result of the merger of Granada and Carlton has been the issue that has dominated the work of the division throughout 2003, and is likely to continue throughout 2004 as the company continues to rationalise its operation. At the time of writing this report Granada had tabled 175 redundancies, almost 50% of the workforce, at its Meridian franchise. In addition 400 jobs are at risk at Carlton Midlands as a result of plans to close the Nottingham Studios, restructure the News operations and review departments in Birmingham. Further job losses, not all in union recognised areas, are expected as a result of the merger.

113. Members at Carlton voted to accept a pay award of 2.5%. An industrial action ballot at Granada over pay was averted by negotiations leading to a revised offer. This offer was accepted by members in a consultative ballot which closed in January 2004.

Arts & Entertainment Division

114. The division has suffered significant loss in membership, due to Arts Council and Regional Arts Board policies in investment in the bricks and mortar of theatre, but with little to no investment in production. Despite this, the union made important gains in its campaign against low pay. The members covered by the Society of London Theatres agreement received an increase of 3.9%. Also, members at the Royal National Theatre received an increase of 3.2%, backdated to 1 April, and members at the Royal Opera House received a two-year pay deal which gives a 2.75% pay increase each year for the next two years. In addition to this, the union has just submitted its pay claim to the Theatrical Management Association seeking a minimum pay rate of £5 per hour, with all current differentials being maintained.

London and Regional Production Divisions

115. During 2003 the PACT/BECTU Freelance Production Agreement was significantly revised, the most significant gains being a new employer pension contribution and a 5% rise in the recommended minimum rates. In the freelance television sector we pushed forward in our recognition battles with the BBC on behalf of wildlife cameramen/women and freelances on soaps/drama in Scotland; and with Thames/Talkback on behalf of freelances working on The Bill. The union also supported freelance news camera grades across several regional BBC centres whose contracts came up for renewal.

116. The film production sector saw a welcome return to a high level of production after two lean years. However continuing low pay rates in construction sparked a major dispute, leading to formal negotiations and the confirmation in January 2004 of a new agreement for construction crews on major feature films. Its centrepiece was a 25% increase in basic hourly rates for most construction grades, as compared to the rates on offer in January 2003.

117. UK-based commercials production continued at a low level, partly because of the deep-rooted advertising recession, and also because the trend is now to shoot abroad unless there is an over-riding reason (location, celebrity availability, etc.) to shoot in the UK. BECTU continues to issue recommended rates and conditions for commercials work.

Laboratories & Non-Broadcast Audio/Video Duplication Division

118. During 2003 there were redundancies at De Luxe and Technicolor laboratories, both of which are owned by multinational companies with lower-cost labs elsewhere in Europe. The BFI launched a major review at the National Film & Television Archive: BECTU is actively engaged in the process. The division's recruitment efforts are focused on De Luxe Video, where there were also redundancies during the year which gave rise to employment tribunal claims which at the time of writing are still unresolved.

Recruitment, retention and training strategy

119. Set out below is the recruitment, retention and training strategy for 2004, broken down by division, based on reports from the Assistant General Secretaries, Supervisory Officials and National Officials.

120. In 2003, BECTU recruited nearly 4,600 members. However the number of cessations through the year was 5,158. The London and Regional Production divisions both showed net gains in membership. The BBC division had exactly the same number of members at the end of November as it had on 1 January. The Arts & Entertainment, Labs and Independent Broadcasting divisions all showed a net loss, as shown in the following chart:

121. In the BBC, the union has been able to break even due to targeted recruitment and a number of industrial strategies, and this will continue in 2004. The decline in membership across Labs is something the union has been aware of for some years. Our level of density remains very high and we are now looking at targeting membership outside of our core recognition areas. Both the London Production and the Regional Production divisions have had a very good year membership-wise, with the Regional Production division also having a good financial year. Some of the gains are down to members who are being made redundant from Independent Broadcasting and, to a lesser extent, from the BBC, who are then transferred to LPD or RPD. The system of ensuring that these individuals have the option of transferring their membership before they leave permanent employment seems to be working more effectively.

122. You will see from the individual reports for London Production and Regional Production that the team of officials believes there remains significant potential for membership growth. Both the IB and the A&E divisions have had an extremely difficult year, with job cuts, closures of theatres and increased casualisation. However across each of these divisions we continue to sign new recognition agreements. Our density of membership is increasing overall across ITV, and one of the significant issues we need to address in the A&E division is how we retain the ever-increasing casual workforce, bearing in mind their mobility and their resistance to Direct Debits and Standing Orders.

123. We set ourselves a total membership income target at the beginning of the year of £4,100,000, which we exceeded by £20,176. This is very encouraging, bearing in mind we have ended up with a net loss in membership of 783.

124. We have done some work on assessing those people who have left BECTU membership, and have examined the period from 27 November 2002 to 27 November 2003. Appendix D gives a breakdown of those statistics by division, showing figures for those who resigned and those who were lapsed, during their first year of membership, with between one and three years' membership, with between three and five years' membership, and with over five years' membership. Overall, the trends across divisions are fairly similar, with one or two exceptions, with approximately 40% of those leaving the union doing so with 1 to 3 years' membership, approximately 40% leaving with over 5 years' membership, approximately 12% leaving with 3 to 5 years' membership, and approximately 8% leaving within their first year of membership.

125. The training of representatives has been much more structured with Brian Kelly's involvement, and the results will eventually be seen. We are finding that new representatives are happy to attend training courses, although some of the long-term representatives are resistant to them. The number of representatives attending the Organising for Growth courses has increased by 25% during 2003, and the plan is to increase this figure during 2004. With that in mind, additional resources have been put into Organising for Growth to enable it to deliver its full potential.

126. Across the divisions it is our perception that more women are getting involved with BECTU at local level, but there is still a lot to do to encourage more women to be active in the union. The Women's Conference on 1 November began to highlight to women members the benefits of being actively involved in the union.

127. The Move on Up event which was also held in November raised BECTU's profile significantly amongst ethnic minorities. We hope that on the back of future events like this, more members from the ethnic minorities will become involved in the union generally.

128. Collective bargaining and new recognition agreements are at the forefront of most of our activities. New agreements have been reached with Carlton Administration staff, Nottingham and Birmingham, Meridian TV, OCS at BBC TV Centre and an extension of the VT Merlin contract to cover people not working on the BBC contract. Cases at, or awaiting a decision from, the CAC include The Bill, the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, City Screen, and an extension of the Intelfax agreement to editorial staff. The CAC rejected our claim in respect of the bargaining unit at River City, but a claim for a redefined bargaining unit has been submitted.

129. BECTU's experience with the CAC is similar to that of most other trade unions. Unions welcomed the legislation as the opportunity to allow the workforce to insist that their trade union is recognised for negotiation on holidays, pay and hours. However the hurdles that the union needs to overcome in order to win recognition are being made more difficult by the loopholes in the legislation, which are being exploited fully by employers. Among the loopholes on which we are campaigning for change are:

• A requirement for a union to be independent as opposed to being listed in order for it to be covered by the legislation.
• A change to the 40% 'yes' vote that must be achieved before recognition will be granted.
• Protection from intimidation for workers who are campaigning to win recognition.

130. To summarise, BECTU's churn rate is approximately 20% to 25% and therefore in order for us to show a net growth in any year we must be looking at recruiting in excess of 5,000 members a year. The core of this year's campaign is to target our activities at organised workplaces where our density is not as great as it could be. Linked with proper training, we hope to ensure that more workplaces are self-sufficient and therefore representatives will be undertaking more individual representation, local recruitment and local level negotiations. It is important that each division keeps its lay activists involved in every campaign, and that at the end of the year we have an increased pool of trained lay activists.

131. The union needs to take all necessary steps to ensure that we have a high profile, both at the workplace and nationally. The divisional committees will review the attached targets quarterly and the figures will be produced on a monthly basis for the NEC, divisions and officials.

BBC Division

132. In the BBC division the recruitment figures for the period up to the end of November are good, with 920 members recruited so far. We are on target to have recruited more than one thousand members by the end of the year. However, in the eleven months to the end of November the net gain is zero, as unfortunately there have been a lot of members leaving the BBC division, although a number of these have transferred to the freelance divisions. This suggests that we need to keep up our efforts to ensure that we have a net gain over the year. The fact that we have recruited so well this year is due to the officials, lay members and branch activists across the division.

133. In the last year Helen Ryan has worked to ensure that there has been considerable growth in Production areas, and the branches do seem to have adopted the organising model. The branch in BBC Broadcast Ltd has continued to grow and the intention is to ensure that this growth continues. In the next twelve months we would expect the proposed transfer of BBC Technology to have an impact on numbers, particularly if there are large-scale redundancies, but we would also expect to recruit a considerable number of new members, so the impact should be broadly neutral. Income will be affected because these new members will be paying £10 per month for the first twelve months, and they are replacing members paying at more than £20 per month.

134. The difficulties recruiting in Worldwide led to its becoming a special target, and Jim Johnstone will report on that in more detail. The branch in BBC Glasgow, with the assistance of Paul McManus and Margaret McGrevey, has begun to organise itself and start to map the members and non-members. Paul McManus intends to do the same in the other Scottish branches. Both BBC Cardiff and BBC Belfast have been made special targets and Anna Kruthoffer indicates how much success there has been in both areas. Our membership density remains high in Resources Limited and new recruits are routinely signed up by the branch officers in the area. The BBC has four companies supplying facilities management, cleaning, catering and security, and Feyi Raimi-Abraham has been successful in recruiting significant numbers amongst them, but the biggest problem has been very high turnover, which has meant that we have not achieved the net gains we hoped.

135. The rate at which we lose members across the BBC is high, at nearly 20%. This is broadly comparable to the turnover of staff in the BBC, so we need to try and recruit more than 20% in each branch or area. If we are successful, we will achieve net growth across the division. There is also a need to try and establish why people are leaving the union and SO Luke Crawley will be writing to all those who have left in the last twelve months to try and find out their reasons.

136. Over the last twelve months we have kept recruitment targets under constant review, and when it became clear in May 2003 that we were not recruiting in sufficient numbers we decided to introduce a more focused approach. This meant that, in conjunction with officials from other divisions, we added extra visits to BBC Cardiff, BBC Belfast, Granada, Sky, and BBC Woodlands. The purpose of these extra visits was to try and help the branches actually start the practical process of recruitment. This consists of mapping the membership, comparing the membership lists to the relevant staff list and identifying exactly where there are areas of non-members and then going and trying to recruit them. It is also an objective to leave behind a self-serving machine. These venues will continue to be prioritised until July 2004.

137. We now have in place a system that allows us to write to every person offered a new contract, on a monthly basis. Each branch receives a copy of the list of those written to so that they can follow it up with a personal visit. Each branch receives information about its members (including those who have been lapsed) on a quarterly basis.

138. Overall, we need to make a bigger impact on recruitment in the BBC in order to increase our density, and the general target is to try to recruit more than 25% of the current branch membership in each area where that is possible. This should mean that despite turnover we should have a strong net growth.

139. Each of the officials working to the BBC division has been asked to look at their areas and come up with proposals for the next twelve months. These are set out in the following paragraphs.

Helen Ryan

140. It is intended that the London based branches will have completed their mapping of the workplaces by the end of 2004. The branches will be encouraged to target specific and agreed areas on a rolling basis. Throughout the year the following buildings will be leafleted and have dedicated recruitment days: White City, Bush House, Broadcast Centre, Broadcasting House, Television Centre and Henry Wood House. Branches have been set a 25% recruitment target.

141. Elstree has been specifically targeted for a joint recruitment campaign with the London Production Division. There will be four recruitment visits to the site in 2004.

142. In general the branches in the English Regions have also been set the 25% recruitment target and to complete the mapping of the sites by the end of the year. There will be three recruitment visits to Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester and the smaller sites will have one recruitment visit throughout the year.

Willie Lesslie

143. The two transmission companies which have contracts with the BBC until 2007 are Crown Castle and Merlin. Crown Castle predominantly covers Home Service transmission and Merlin World Service transmission. During the year Merlin was purchased by the shipping company Vosper Thorneycroft, and is now known as VT Merlin. AGS Gerry Morrissey and Willie Lesslie conduct negotiations with these companies at national level.

144. It has been a difficult year for recruitment in both Crown Castle and Merlin, despite attempts by the branches to begin mapping the membership in each company. Merlin has already increased in size from 274 to 452, and in 2004 the intention is to visit further new sites acquired by Merlin. Each new site will be visited by Willie Lesslie and Sandy Ross, as it joins the group between January and June. There will be an additional 150 members of staff at these sites. The headquarters of the company at Lincoln's Inn will also receive a number of visits.

145. In Crown Castle a programme of scheduled visits is being set for the branches in the South West, during which Willie Lesslie and Norman Craggs will try to visit all of the branches. Similar programmes are being arranged for the North of England and Scotland, with Bryce Whiteford giving assistance. The headquarters at Warwick will receive visits, and these are being arranged by Phil Osborn. The target for recruitment for both companies is 25% of existing membership, so for Crown Castle that would be 43 new members, and for Merlin 28 new members.

Jim Johnstone

146. There have been two visits to BBC Woodlands, and with the assistance of officials from the London Production division we have begun the process of mapping the membership and starting to walk around the target areas. This has begun to have a significant impact on recruitment figures, with five people joining up to June of this year and 18 members since then. However it is not yet clear whether we will have a net gain, due to the high turnover.

147. New posters featuring the 'everyman' stick figure have been distributed throughout the building. The branch committee details are printed on each poster. The branch committee has undertaken to map three areas of the company where there are industrial issues, where the committee members are known, and where there are enough members to aid the map/recruitment processes. These are Library Sales, Magazines Classified Ad Sales and International Operations. There was a visit by Rob Newland, Dean Baker and Jim Johnstone on December 8 to coincide with the opening of the refurbished cafeteria, with an open surgery for all interested parties. Further visits are as scheduled. The aspiration is for a gain of 25% in overall membership, amounting to 25 to 30 new members.

148. Using the above as a model, the intention would be to emulate the procedure in Bush and Caversham.

149. Generally, favourable relationships exist between BECTU and management in both sites. Bush has a dedicated office and several active representatives. Caversham holds regular induction days for new staff, at which we will request attendance. For Bush, the aspiration is 70 new members, for Caversham 21. TV News has the largest aspiration - 132 - and accordingly is the most problematic. Plans have yet to be fleshed out, but at a recent SDC, IT areas across the division were seen as areas with potential for growth. Tim Coward was elected to be a liaison point for identifying areas to focus on.

Anna Kruthoffer

150. Anna has been responsible for two of the areas which have been specially targeted. This has meant that she has been involved in two visits to Cardiff and two to Belfast since June. The experience in both is similar. Both branches have been receptive to the idea of mapping the membership by comparing the staff lists with the branch lists. The officials have then followed that up by walking around the open plan offices in each area and trying to recruit members. This has been successful, with 33 members recruited in Cardiff and 16 in Belfast. This compares well with 11 and 8 recruited in the first half of the year in each branch. If the branches can be encouraged to carry on the recruitment themselves, then the additional visits will have been a success.

Paul McManus

151. At BBC Glasgow the intention is to try and complete an organised mapping and recruitment exercise early on in the year, with an increase in numbers of 95. There have been a number of new stewards recruited and trained and they are now active in the branch. The targeted recruitment has not been as successful in BBC Glasgow partly because it has not been possible to give it the same amount of time as other areas, but since June 2003 18 members have been recruited at the time of writing, compared to 34 between January and June.

152. Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh will also be subject to a complete mapping exercise as this has not been done for three years, but given that staff numbers are much lower on those sites recruitment will not be significant, with perhaps 20 across the three branches.

153. Branch organisation at Capita is at a standstill following the problems of the management refusing to recognise BECTU. There is talk of staff joining a third, and different, union.

Feyi Raimi-Abraham

154. The areas in the BBC in London are the three contractors' companies Wilson James, Eurest (Compass) and OCS, as well as the main company, Land Securities Trillium. In terms of recruitment activities for 2004, we intend to continue holding open meetings, mainly at TV Centre and Broadcasting House, for all contractor staff to attend. Also, because of the nature of the jobs that this group of workers do, we intend to continue to conduct informal visits to the sites when walking through the building, with a view to having a brief chat with catering, security, cleaning and printing staff while they work.

155. The targets we set last year were, we think, quite realistic. However, in setting those targets, we now realise that the main factor affecting recruitment and retention in this area had not been adequately taken into account, i.e. high staff turnover! Therefore, a slightly more cautious target of a 20% increase in each branch, has been set for 2004.

156. Set out below are the current membership figures as at 24 November 2003. What is noticeable is the drop in membership in the BBC LST and BBC OCS branches. This is mainly due to members leaving the employment of LST and OCS Ltd respectively. The BBC Wilson James branch, which we had intended to increase by 175, has also suffered from a slump in staff numbers on the BBC contract. In response to my request for staff figures for March and August of this year, the Human Resources Manager reported that for the BBC contract, the company's payroll records show that 170 individuals were paid on 31 March 2003 and 137 on 31 August 2003! The catering company Eurest/Sutcliffe (Compass) has also gone through some downsizing, and we are currently in talks with management regarding a reorganisation at Broadcasting House. We have requested an up-to-date staff list but the information has not been received at the point of writing this report.

157. Branch figures and targets are as follows:

The intended total number of new members in this area is 62.

BBC OCE

158. I took over responsibility for members working for OCE on the BBC contract in October 2003. Out of the 21 staff who transferred over from the BBC, 18 are members. It is hoped that by this time next year we will have 100% membership amongst this group of workers.

Independent Broadcasting Division

Appraisal of 2003

159. The year began with a battle royal with Sky following the submission of a recognition claim on behalf of Sales staff at the company's operation in Livingston, Scotland. The company's hostility to the prospect of union recognition in a discrete part of its business was made evident by its decision to intimidate staff and activists in the run-up to the ballot, and to threaten staff with their jobs in the event of a successful ballot. This campaign of intimidation also spread to Osterley, where the union was preparing to launch a similar bid. The union was successful in reversing an attempt by the company to dismiss its principal activist at the Osterley site. Whilst the union has continued to put resources into union organisation in Scotland and London, the loss of the Sky Sales ballot has caused some members to drift away. Solid work at Osterley in respect of Health and Safety together with the launch of a Sky staff website - www.bectusky.org.uk - have been very positive moves.

160. Granada's continued drive to cut costs in the run-up to a decision on ITV plc was felt hardest in the early part of the year at Granada Manchester, with a concerted threat to jobs in Regionals (with some successful resistance) and a further loss of jobs at 3sixtymedia. ITV's decision not to re-commission Crossroads also led to a major restructure at Carlton's Nottingham Studios, with the loss of some 75 posts, including that of our chief steward, Dave Reynolds. As 2003 draws to a close, Granada staff are under attack again, this time at Meridian, where it is proposed that 175 posts should go. NTL has suffered approximately 500 post closures this year, some of which have affected our areas of recognition. However despite this, recruitment amongst ntl staff is running at a 150 net gain. The dominant feature in ntl this year has been the long-running and difficult discussions about proposed changes to terms and conditions in Broadcast, where the union has its largest concentration of members. Industrial action may well be needed to break the deadlock. David Beevers remains ntl's dedicated official.

161. Despite the significant redundancies already mentioned, during 2003 700 members have been recruited across IB. However, there was still a net loss of 18 members. There is no reason to believe that the number of membership cessations will decrease in 2004, bearing in mind the continued restructuring of ITV. Therefore in order for the division to show a net growth of say, 5% next year, we would have to recruit 775 new members, which will be our objective for the year.

162. BECTU's two new officials, Nigel Mason and Anna Kruthoffer, served the division well, coping with industrial business but also laying the foundations for improved branch organisation at certain sites. Anna's work on the transfer of staff to Ofcom should help the union's retention of members in the short term, and pave the way for membership growth as the new organisation takes shape. Led by Nigel Mason, BECTU members in Carlton's admin and finance grades successfully regained recognition in December. It is hoped that the prospects for staff at Ulster TV will also be improved by the hard work this year, both locally and from head office, to set collective bargaining on a new footing.

163. Whilst the industrial agenda has been full, the division continues to develop, and has succeeded in training more reps that in previous years, and has run two successful Negotiating Skills courses tutored by Brian Kelly.

Objectives for 2004

164. These are as follows:

• Improved membership and organisation within ITV plc is critical;
• The training and development of reps will remain a key objective. It is hoped that branches will also support BECTU-wide efforts to reflect their memberships more closely by encouraging new activists from amongst their women and ethnic minority membership;
• The division must make more of its opportunities in respect of ntl.

165. In pursuit of better organisation, work to strengthen BECTU at Granada Manchester and at LWT has started. This work has to be continued. Development work has yet to start in earnest at YTV. At Carlton, there are signs of fresh interest amongst staff and renewed interest in activism here, too.

166. The division wants to support the new structured programme of stewards training, and wants to expand its understanding of the Organising culture in order to strengthen the union.

167. Ntl remains a key target for the division in 2004. A merger with Telewest may happen, which will pose new challenges in respect of union organisation and co-operation with the CWU. The division will support initiatives aimed at better organisation amongst Field Operations staff and amongst call centres staff in Manchester, Belfast and Belshill (Glasgow).

168. With 2004 set to place more demands on the division's stretched resources, we will continue to assist members in cable and satellite, subtitling and commercial radio, in addition to our more developed areas. Sky remains an important target for IB, and the emphasis will be placed on supporting the branches, developing activists and equipping those activists to deal with key issues of importance to their membership. The union is also keen to anticipate and prepare for the impact of the Information and Consultation Directive, and the division will support that effort.

Recruitment visits 2004

169. Key target areas are as follows:

Wednesday 7, Thursday 8 January - BBC Glasgow
Wednesday 14, Thursday 15 January - Granada
Monday 19 January - Deluxe
Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 January - BBC Belfast
Monday 26 January - BBC Woodlands
Wednesday 4, Thursday 5 February - BBC Cardiff
Wednesday 11, Thursday 12 February - Sky
Monday 23 February - BBC Woodlands
Tuesday 24 February - Deluxe
Wednesday 3, Thursday 4 March - BBC Glasgow
Tuesday 9, Wednesday 10 March - BBC Belfast
Wednesday 10, Thursday 11 March - Granada
Tuesday 30, Wednesday 31 March - BBC Cardiff
Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 April - Sky
Wednesday 5 May - Deluxe
Thursday 6 May - BBC Woodlands
Wednesday 19, Thursday 20 May - Granada, BBC Cardiff
Wednesday 26, Thursday 27 May - BBC Glasgow
Wednesday 9, Thursday 10 June - Sky
Wednesday 23, Thursday 24 June - BBC Belfast
Wednesday 8, Thursday 9 September - BBC Cardiff
Monday 20, Tuesday 21 September - BBC Glasgow
Wednesday 22, Thursday 23 September - BBC Belfast
Monday 27 September - Deluxe
Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 September - Sky
Tuesday 5 October - BBC Woodlands
Wednesday 6, Thursday 7 October - Granada
Tuesday 9, Wednesday 10 November - BBC Cardiff
Wednesday 17, Thursday 18 November - Granada
Monday 22, Tuesday 23 November - BBC Glasgow
Wednesday 24, Thursday 25 November - BBC Belfast
Monday 29 November - Deluxe
Wednesday 1, Thursday 2 December - Sky
Tuesday 7 December - BBC Woodlands

170. The following sites, although they are not key targets, will receive visits during the year, diaried before the end of 2003: HTV Cardiff, HTV Bristol, Scottish Media Group, Grampian, Border TV, BBC Bristol, BBC Aberdeen, Ulster TV, Carlton Birmingham, Carlton Nottingham, BBC Birmingham, BBC Nottingham, BBC Manchester, Anglia TV, BBC Norwich, Yorkshire TV, Tyne Tees TV, BBC Newcastle, Meridian TV, BBC Southampton, BBC Plymouth, Westcountry TV, ITN, Channel 4, LWT, NTL, BBC Bush.

Arts & Entertainment Division

171. In the A&E division the 2003 recruitment and retention strategy had aimed to achieve a net increase in membership of 300. Not only has this not been achieved but, over the last four quarters (September to September), membership has plummeted by almost 1,000. Divisional income has not fallen dramatically to date, but this is due to some significant pay increases negotiated by the union, particularly within West End and TMA theatres. However these are the areas that have seen the highest loss of members.

172. Membership within the West End alone has fallen by about 250, despite pay rates increasing by almost 20% in the last 20 months. Similarly, membership within regional theatres has dropped by 400 to 500, despite pay rates increasing by up to 10%.

173. What is evident is that BECTU will not be able to negotiate such increases against a background of a falling membership, which will lead to increasing marginalisation by employers.

174. Although there have been a few high-profile theatre closures and redundancies, as well as a number of West End shows closing, an analysis of membership levels within individual theatre branches shows a general downward trend, with few branches maintaining membership levels, let alone showing an increase.

175. In conclusion, the implementation of the 2003 strategy within the A&E division has been wholly unsatisfactory, although the premise on which it was based represents the best plan for future development.

176. An analysis of joiners and leavers shows that the division has needed to recruit about one quarter of total membership annually just to stand still. The number of members who left last year was roughly the same as previous years. Where we have clearly failed is in our recruitment activities. It is clear that this needs to be addressed.

177. Over the past year or so, BECTU has been attempting to move towards an organising culture, and resources have been diverted accordingly. Within the A&E division this move has been welcomed by representatives, who have gone on to participate in the Organising for Growth courses. However this participation has not brought about improvements in organisation or membership levels in workplaces. In future we will need to follow-up on attendees to see if they need further training or assistance in order to put the theory into practice successfully. It is unlikely that there will be a situation where there are no issues around which to organise and campaign.

178. It is relatively easier to recruit, organise and campaign within the bigger theatre companies, although within the National Houses there remains scope for improvement in each of the theatres. It is more difficult to do so within smaller theatres. The A&E divisional committee recently set up two sub-committees comprising representatives from Clear Channel Entertainment and the Ambassador's Theatre Group, which are the two largest theatre management companies, and which have significant recruitment potential. The aim of these committees will be to recruit, organise and campaign on identified company-wide issues. Early indications are that this is a positive development that could be replicated within other companies, such as the Really Useful Theatre claim. In effect, these committees could fulfil a function similar to that of the Odeon and UGC SDCs.

179. Increased resources will help to arrest the falling membership and push towards a divisional membership of over 7,000, which should be attainable in the medium- to long-term.

180. However the focus of all representatives, branches, SDCs and the divisional committee has to be on recruiting within the organising model, and then mounting and winning high profile and relevant campaigns at both workplace and company level. This did not happen in 2003, but it is essential in 2004. If the current representatives, at all levels, are unable to deliver, the union will need to address the problem.

181. For 2004 the aim must be to increase membership to the level at the start of 2003. The focus for 2004 will be within theatres and, to a lesser extent, in arts centres. The scope for increased membership within our recognition areas in UGC and Odeon Cinemas is relatively limited, but should improve with the full implementation of the organising model. Within the independent cinema sector, the main area for recruitment potential will be the City Screen company, but this will depend on whether we are successful with our claim for recognition for three of the cinemas currently at the CAC. Again, leisure will not be a recruitment priority, although existing members will be serviced.

182. Therefore, taking the figures for the first 11 months of 2003, 832 new members were recruited across the A&E division. Assuming the same level of cessations for 2004, we will need to recruit 1601 new members in order to meet the objective outlined above.

London Production, Regional Production and Laboratories & Non Broadcast Video/Audio Duplication Divisions

Introduction

183. The union's targets in 2003 were based on net growth. However, in 2004 our efforts will focus not on net growth targets, but on recruitment targets pitched at a level intended to compensate for membership churn and achieve net growth of 5%. This emphasis on recruitment will build on our existing strengths, and focus on the single factor over which we have the greatest degree of control.

London Production Division

184. LPD's target for 2003 was for net growth of 525 members. In the event we achieved net growth of 67. Our failure to meet the target has not been due to poor recruitment: the division's recruitment record has been good and in the course of 2003 we recruited over 1057 new members. The problem exists on the other side of the equation, where we continue to have problems in retaining members.

185. We do have systems in place to intervene where members appear to be drifting out of benefit and towards lapsing, and we will continue to monitor these and seek to improve them.

186. However our emphasis in 2004 will be on recruitment, and LPD's recruitment target is 1320 new members.

187. The 2003 net growth target was broken down into individual branch targets. Most of LPD's branches are based on grade or occupation. Where an occupational branch is well-organised, or the industrial department upon which it is based has a strong collective culture, this can make sense, as shown in recent years by good growth in the Camera branch, Grips & Crane Technicians branch, and Media Make-Up & Hair Artists branch. However a grade/occupational branch cannot, by definition, cover everyone on a particular crew, or everyone at a particular workplace.

188. Our recruitment strategy in 2004 will move forward on a broader front. We will still have branch-based approaches where appropriate, but also approaches based on industrial sectors, workplaces or workplace-clusters; and individual productions. In some cases these initiatives will cross-cut, so that groups of potential members may find themselves assailed by BECTU initiatives from two or more directions.

189. Application forms will be tagged so that each new joiner can be linked to the specific initiative which prompted their application, and the relative success of the various initiatives can be assessed.

190. A successful recruitment and retention strategy cannot be pursued in a vacuum. It is inseparable from the industrial climate, and must be pursued in line with the union's industrial strategy. It means dovetailing our industrial priorities into our recruitment and retention activities. Areas where we have made industrial progress in 2003, which must be worked into the 2004 recruitment and retention effort, include:

• the new agreement with PACT, and in particular the provision for employer pension contributions;
• the new agreement for film industry construction workers;
• progress towards freelance recognition by the BBC.

Television production

191. In TV our industrial priorities are:

• In the independent sector, to broaden the use of the PACT/BECTU Freelance Production Agreement;
• To seek recognition for collective bargaining on behalf of freelance workers in the BBC, other broadcasters, and other major TV employers.

Unit/crew lists and production visits

192. As a result of the new PACT Agreement, we are now regularly receiving unit/crew lists and information on independent productions.

193. During 2004 we will put in place a system for analysing these lists; contacting non-members in target groups to promote the union, outline the benefits won for them by BECTU through the PACT Agreement, and invite them into membership.

194. We will also continue to set up regular production visits at studios and locations.

195. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 400.

196. We will also continue with our long-term project of mapping the freelance labour force, including its non-union element.

BBC Elstree

197. At the BBC Elstree Studios the local rep is helping us recruit freelances working on Eastenders, Holby City and at CBBC. Local reps also offer a first stop advice service to our freelance members. This, coupled with officials' visits, will enable us to organise a freelance group here, with a view eventually to seeking recognition.

198. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 50.

Thames/Talkback: Merton

199. The Merton drama site will continue to be an area of high activity. The site hosts The Bill, Family Affairs and various one-off productions. Membership density on The Bill is high, and a recognition campaign has been under way since 2002. During 2003 the union held discussions with the company about recognition, with ACAS present as witnesses and moderators, but these talks were ultimately unsatisfactory. The aim is now to pursue a formal claim for recognition on The Bill through the CAC.

200. Meanwhile, we also intend to build our membership on Family Affairs and other productions on-site.

201. The team leader here is Tom Bell.

202. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 50.

Other TV studios

203. The team will also maintain contact with the other leading TV studios in the London area - the London Studios and Fountain Studios - either on a programmed basis or by setting up production visits on the basis of the production information now coming through from PACT.

204. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 80.

Other TV production centres

205. We will arrange a programme of open meetings for freelance members and their non-union colleagues working in or around Brighton, Cambridge/Norwich, Maidstone; and Southampton to re-establish the union's profile in these areas.

206. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 80.

Film and commercials production

207.In film and commercials our industrial priorities are:

• Among freelance workers in film production, to build on the Construction Agreement;
• In commercials, to maintain our presence in a difficult climate;
• Among permanently employed members in film studios/facilities, to raise our profile with a view to recruitment and to pursuing recognition where appropriate.

Pinewood Studios

208. BECTU officials have visited Pinewood Studios - by far the country's biggest film studio - regularly throughout 2003, and it will continue to be a key target in 2004. A recruitment team comprising all the LPD full time officials and led by Rob Newland will target Pinewood, which at the time of writing, is expected to be as busy in 2004 as it was in 2003.

209. We are investigating the cost and practicality of renting our own room as an organising centre, and as a location for surgeries and advice sessions. There will be a regular programme of visits aimed (a) at freelance workers employed by production companies using the stages, and (b) at employees of tenant-companies permanently based at the studio. Visits will take place no less than once in every fortnight, in teams of no less than two.

210. Among freelance workers, we will, in particular, seek to build on the Construction Agreement by focusing recruitment on the construction branches: Plasterers, Riggers, Set Crafts, and Stagehands.

211. In addition, if Training Officer Brian Kelly's funding bid for Learning Co-ordinators and a Learning Centre at Pinewood is successful, we will work with him to dovetail this extra resource into our activities.

212. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 270.

Shepperton Studios

213. The Pinewood initiative will be monitored through 2004. We will, in particular, take stock of progress in June, with a view to adopting a similar strategy at its sister film studio, Shepperton, in the last quarter of the year.

214. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 65.

Leavesden Studios

215. A smaller recruitment team, led by Tom Bell, will ensure regular visits to Leavesden, with a view to raising our profile in the studio, as well as recruitment.

216. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 65.

Other Film Studios

217. The team responsible for BBC Elstree TV Studios will also make regular visits to Elstree Film Studios to maintain our profile. In addition, the LPD team will maintain contact with other film and commercials studios in the London area on a programmed basis, especially Black/Dukes Island, Ealing, Three Mills and Twickenham.

218. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 65.

Post-production

219. The post-production sector has been a declared target for several years, but we have failed to make significant inroads. The employment structure and culture of the sector is difficult for us, and in practical terms it is often impossible to gain access to post-production companies' premises.

220. The Post-Production & Facilities branch's plans for 2004 focus on a 'Soho Square' initiative. This will be a combination of PR/profile work to establish BECTU's visibility in the Soho area, and practical efforts to gain access to company premises via direct approaches to employers, and via freelance members when they are working in the area.

221. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 65.

LPD branches

FAA branch

222. The FAA occupies a unique position among LPD Branches, by virtue of being our only front-of-camera members and by virtue of having its own Agreement with PACT. Thanks to the efforts of the branch committee and Spencer MacDonald in forging a valuable relationship with the agents and effective links with the DTI, we hope to see a continuing steady rate of growth in 2004.

223. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 35.

Grips & Crane Technicians branch

224. A new lay leadership in this branch has put forward an ambitious programme for branch development and recruitment. This is a specialised area, without enormous scope for growth, but its initiative should be adopted as part of the division's overall strategy because it may provide a model for other occupational branches.

225. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 10.

Graduates/new entrants

226. We operate with a list of about 10 leading colleges/training providers with a good reputation in the industry, whose graduates are relatively successful in finding work. We intend to visit each of these to talk directly to final year students/trainees about the benefits of union membership.

227. We will provide information packs in response to queries from other colleges/training providers, but our policy is that officials go to speak only to those on our priority list.

228. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 90.

229. Looking to the future, as part of the Film Skills Strategy, a small number of Screen Academies, and a larger number of kite-marked courses offered by other colleges/training providers, will be identified by the industry as a whole. This will be of enormous help in establishing some quality control among the vast number of media-related courses, many of which are very poor and do not provide a realistic route into employment. It will also help us focus and target our own approach to potential graduate members.

Regional Production Division

230. The work of RPD members is overwhelmingly TV-based, and TV production outside London and the South-East is increasingly focused on major regional centres along the Liverpool-Manchester-Leeds axis, the Cardiff-Bristol axis, and in Scotland. Our recruitment & retention strategy starts from this reality.

231. Industrially the main priorities are:

• to build on our Agreements with PACT and TAC, and
• to identify recognition opportunities, especially with broadcasters.

232. RPD's target for 2003 was for net growth of 240 members. This was ambitious, but nevertheless we managed to exceed it and achieved net growth of 272. This is an excellent result, especially as it comes on top of steady growth in previous years. However it must be recognised that part of it derives from permanently-employed members, especially in IB, who have been made redundant and moved into the freelance market.

233. Our target for 2004 is to recruit 395 new members.

Liverpool-Manchester-Leeds

234. Paul Atkinson is responsible for freelance workers and employees of independent production and facilities companies in this geographical area.

235. In Liverpool, the main focus will continue to be Mersey TV, where we are fully recognised and there is significant scope to increase the union's membership. Despite the loss of Brookside, the company's future seems relatively secure, with the expansion of Hollyoaks and the acquisition of Grange Hill.

236. In Manchester, the emphasis will be on increasing membership among freelances working to Granada TV and 3sixtymedia. A cross-divisional recruitment team is also in place to target Granada.

237. Leeds is being developed as a major drama production centre for the ITV Network. The main priority here will be to increase membership where appropriate, progress towards recognition for freelances working on soaps/dramas for Yorkshire TV.

238. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 200.

Cardiff-Bristol

239. David Donovan is responsible for freelance workers and employees of independent production and facilities companies in this geographical area.

240. In Wales, David will continue the work he started in 2003 with 'newcomer workers' in the independent sector. This work has allowed him access to numerous companies in South Wales, raising awareness of the union and its professionalism.

241. A cross-divisional recruitment team is in place to target BBC Wales. David is playing an essential role in this, given his local knowledge and visibility. The team will develop a programme of visits to the location of Pobol y Cwm (a BBC production for S4C) to map, recruit, and if appropriate, pursue a recognition claim.

242. Dependent on success in Cardiff, we will also be considering BBC Bristol as a target. If our current claim for recognition of wildlife cameramen/women is successful, this will inevitably have an impact on our profile among TV freelances more generally in the Bristol area.

243. David will also be running an event in Bristol specifically designed to recruit members in the animation sector.

244. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 120.

Scotland

245. In Scotland, Paul McManus will continue his work with TV freelances. The BBC is overwhelmingly the major employer of TV freelances in Scotland. Paul's focus will therefore be on follow-up work to the River City recognition claim, and consolidating Scottish Freelance branch membership among freelances working to the BBC.

246. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 40.

Other RPD branches

247. Our focus on the three major production centres does not mean that other regions and branches are ignored. Branch committees will be encouraged to produce their own recruitment plans, based on local knowledge and opportunities.

248. Our recruitment target for this area of work is 35.

Laboratories & Non Broadcast Video/Audio Duplication Division

249. The Labs division's target for 2003 was for net growth of 15 members. This may seem modest, but in fact it implied reversing the steady decline in labs jobs and members over recent years. Unfortunately we were not able to pull this off, and saw a net decline of 98. This was mainly due to redundancies at both the major labs and some smaller labs during the year.

250. We may see further job losses during 2004, not only in the commercial laboratories but also perhaps at the BFI National Film & Television Archive, where a major structural review is under way.

251. Nevertheless we have set an ambitious target for 2004 to recruit 151 new members.

252. Our main growth opportunity in the division is De Luxe Video. Spencer MacDonald is leading a cross-divisional team targeting the company's main site at Enfield, where we have recognition, and at its newly-acquired subsidiaries at Crawley and Horsham.

253. Among the smaller laboratories, Natasha Andrews and the new National Official Tony Norton will be working with members at Todd-AO, with a view to seeking recognition.

Proposition 12/04 (AP3) Membership retention

That this annual conference believes we must do all we can to retain members. Conference therefore instructs the General Secretary to send a yearly round-up of BECTU's achievements to each member, with a personal message thanking them for their support.