The Queen's Speech and the 2010 general election

After the high profile, public activity of the summer, debate around the government's plans for top-slicing are no doubt taking place behind closed doors ahead of the Queen's Speech on 18 November.

A Broadcasting Bill is expected to incorporate proposals contained within the Digital Britain report. In just a few days then, we'll know how much of a fight we still have on our hands with regards to BBC funding. Our Don't Top Slice the Licence Fee postcards have been presented to the DCMS and a new group in support of public service broadcasting - the Citizens Coalition for Public Service Broadcasting - was launched last week.

Much talk now is centred on the forthcoming election and predictions of a Tory win with a healthy majority. Whilst the union is affiliated to the Labour Party, BECTU members will vote as they choose when the election comes.

That said, my hope is that members will examine the parties proposals for public service cuts as they consider how to use their vote. The BBC, theatres and local authority venues are all funded by the public purse.

Public service cuts on are the cards - the question is which party will cut deepest and have the greatest negative impact on the industry and on our members' livelihoods?

The Conservatives review of the National Minimum Wage framework - they are considering making it possible for individuals to opt out of the protection - received a rough ride, not surprisingly, at this year's TUC conference. BECTU's president, Tony Lennon, spoke against. How could such a change ever be justified and least of all in a recession? The NMW exists to protect the most vulnerable workers: more compliance is needed, not measures which would give hostile employers carte blanche to bully staff into working for less.

In our industry, there are employers prepared to cheat their workforce out of their entitlements; we, with others, continue to argue for greater enforcement measures. Just last month, a BECTU team, led by AGS Martin Spence, met with representatives from BIS and the HMRC to discuss new ways to bring the relevance of the NMW to the attention of employers and workers in our sector - new entrants to film and tv production, who are often freelance, are one key vulnerable group.  

Another measure being considered by the Tories which would impact negatively on industrial relations concerns industrial action ballots. Would a proposal for a legitimate mandate for industrial action subject to a  'yes' vote by at least 50% of those entitled to vote stack up? The Conservatives could be running the country on a 'yes' vote of 25% of the electorate. I think they need to think again.