Haymarket conciliation agreed

Leicester Haymarket managers have called in ACAS after three successful strikes.

The decision to allow the government conciliation service to intervene in a long-running pay dispute at the theatre came after shows were taken off by industrial action.

All performances were cancelled on October 9, 12, and 13, forcing the theatre to issue £50,000 worth of refunds to ticket-holders, according to union estimates.

Negotiators now hope that an ACAS meeting will be fixed before the October 23, the next scheduled day of action by members who are supporting BECTU's campaign to eliminate low pay from theatres throughout the UK. Until then, the theatre remains under notice that action will be taken that day.

A recent survey by the union revealed the shocking fact that the vast majority of theatre workers are paid less than the levels acknowledged by both the Low Pay Unit and the Council of Europe as poverty pay.

Despite agreeing to the ACAS meeting, Haymarket management still faced criticism from union negotiators. BECTU official Willy Donaghy said: "I am pleased that the management have finally agreed to the union's initiative to hold conciliation talks at ACAS. However, I am disappointed that the theatre management did not accede to our offer before last week's strike action. I am hopeful that we will reach a negotiated settlement that will address our members' concerns about low pay at the theatre."

"The £50,000 of refunds could have gone towards settling the dispute and helped eradicate low pay at the Haymarket", continued Donaghy.