BECTU wins recognition on The Bill
Sergeant June Ackland from The Bill played by Trudie Goodwin.
Production staff and crew on the ITV soap have voted for BECTU to bargain on their terms, conditions, and pay.
A postal ballot was conducted voluntarily by production company Freemantle after several months of talks with the union, and 58% of staff and freelancers working on the ITV soap returned voting papers.
The union won a majority of 53% in the ballot, meeting the threshold agreed with Freemantle for formal recogition of the union.
BECTU now plans to establish a local union branch exclusively for members working on The Bill>, and hopes to begin early discussions on a collective agreement covering its members.
The union has already welcomed Freemantle's willingness to set up collective bargaining arrangements, and has thanked the company for accepting the outcome of the ballot.