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Recent posts
- Why people risk insecure work
- Freelancers and the welfare system
- Sleep depravation and driving – blood test under development
- Film and TV drama healthcheck (plus a footnote about distribution ‘windows’ and cinemas).
- Meal expenses – update
- Bank Rate rises. Inflation rate stubborn.
- Flexible working, and work-from-home update
- Bectu Assistant Editors Toolkit published
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- Useful resources for working abroad
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- March Budget 2023 with added inflation catch-up.
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- Four day week trial
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- ‘Don’t discuss your pay’ clauses
- The state of the UK film and TV economy
- “Emotional Tax” of being on guard against racial bias
- The “freelancers can’t be safety reps” thing that people keep saying.
- Theatre skills shortages at a ‘tipping point’
- What health records relating to employees can an employer hold?
- Two freelance tax developments to note
- Inflation update and the fall in real wages
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- The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill – unions concerns
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- ‘The Growth Plan’ seems to be on it’s knees. What does this mean for Bectu freelance members?
- Some useful resources when discussing the impact of long hours working
- Living Wage Foundation brings its annual announcement forward
- Earnings growth – private sector workers outpace the public sector
- UK independent productions, the inflation punch-in-the-mouth, and the very European remedies.
- Inflation update – August 2022 figures
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Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Inflation update and the fall in real wages | Bectu Freelance Research on Earnings growth – private sector workers outpace the public sector
- Paul Evans on Applying for a Lorimer Letter (LP10)
- George on Applying for a Lorimer Letter (LP10)
- Paul Evans on Travelling to work in the EU (updated)
- Davide on Travelling to work in the EU (updated)
Monthly Archives: May 2021
Biden’s aim: “We want the — the companies to compete to attract workers“
President Biden’s approach is one that many trades unionists may not have even dared to hope for, This, combined with news about a surgin in capital investment to boost productivity, is starting to make it look like all of the … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Employment, Politics
Tagged Aggregate demand, Keynesianism, President Biden, United States
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The UK’s EU settlement scheme.
It is essential that any EU citizens resident in the UK know about the EU settlement scheme and its 30th June 2021 deadline. The pages on the Home Office website setting this out can be seen here.
Posted in EU & Brexit, Migration & working abroad
Tagged Brexit, EU Settled Status, Working abroad
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Uber recognition deal with the GMB
A minor bombshell, GMB and Uber have agreed a recognition deal. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said the agreement would give Uber drivers “a real voice at work”.
Posted in Employment intermediaries, Freelancer rights, Gig economy workers, Low pay, Trades Unions
Tagged GMB, Uber
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Provision of Equipment and self-employed tax status
On the ESM4118 list of particular occupations in the entertainment industry – TV and radio workers – behind the camera workers roles etc, normally treated as self-employed, (formerly “the Appendix 1 list”, a number of roles have an important qualification … Continue reading
Covid deaths at work – comprehensive TUC round-up
It is likely that the official figures – 216 occupational Covid deaths worthy of investigation – is falling well short of the true number of fatalities following work-related Covid transmission. Here.
Procedural Utility
People don’t only take value from the wages, and the other standard rewards offered by employers. They also take value from the sense of control and having access to a process that allows them to affect an outcome. This is … Continue reading
Posted in Management, Ownership & Control
Tagged co-ops, Procedural utility, Trades Unions
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Taxed twice? Workers’ fears of addressing complex employent relationships
Just a quick personal observation based on advising members, but also helping family members with personal employment issues… I think everyone overestimates the degree to which workers are actually the robust rational actors that some policy-makers think they are.
Freelance gender pay gaps
The gender pay gap, when measured in Freelance Day Rates, is pronounced, according to research from Tide (a small business banking company). Reporting this, the Metro says: “…men who are freelance charge an average day rate of £149.48, while women charge … Continue reading
Posted in Equality, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gender pay
Tagged Gender pay gap
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Ceri Stoner of Wiggin LLP on IR35 for Screenskills
There’s a useful webinar briefing from February for productions on the application of the IR35 changes from Ceri Stoner of Wiggin LLP on the Screenskills website.
Freelance charter in Liverpool
A group of freelancers in Liverpool have set up a group named March for the Arts. This is the charter they are asking employers to sign up to, as well as asking Freelancers to use across the sector. There is … Continue reading
Posted in Freelance working, Freelancer rights
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Relative poverty among working households
Poverty rate among working households in UK is highest ever. IPPR thinktank blames higher rents, rising property prices and childcare costs for relative poverty reaching 17.4%.
French Audiovisual Law
Carole Tongue has forwarded a briefing on a recent webinar organised by the International Authors organisation with contributions from Cecile Despringre and Patrick Raude. It was reported that The French law enshrining the unwaivable right to remuneration for audiovisual authors … Continue reading
Posted in Film & TV industry policy, Public Service Broadcasting
Tagged France, Investment Quotas, Quotas
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Death in Paradise – BBC’s optimum formula
From The Guardian: (13/01/2021) ….Death in Paradise has been pulling in ratings bigger than flagship BBC dramas on a modest budget, using a cast of C-list actors, week after week, for nine years.
Posted in BBC, Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting
Tagged BBC, Death in Paradise
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Class inequality in screen industries
New research into class diversity in the Screen Industries shows that in 2020 over half of people working in the UK’s Screen Industries were from privileged backgrounds (53%), compared to 38% of people working in any role. More here.
Global study on long hours working
Long working hours are killing hundreds of thousands of people a year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The first global study of its kind showed 745,000 people died in 2016 from stroke and heart disease due to long … Continue reading
Variant found in India: High vaccine efficacy after two doses.
Public Health England has presented the first real-world data on vaccine efficacy against B.1.617.2, the variant first found in India. Efficacy against symptomatic B.1.617.2 was 81% after two doses, much higher than many have feared. “New UK government research suggests … Continue reading
Cryptocurrency primer
At some point, you may be asked to have an opinion on Bitcoin. If this happens, this – from Paul Krugman – may help? I’ve been in numerous meetings with enthusiasts for cryptocurrency and/or blockchain, the concept that underlies it. … Continue reading
UKCCD response to Ofcom on the future of Public Service Broadcasting.
The UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity circulated their response to OfCOM’s report on the Future of public service broadcasting, Small Screen: Big Debate, UKCCD believes that monies for public service broadcasting should not be spread more thinly and that investment in … Continue reading
Posted in BBC, EU & Brexit, Public Service Broadcasting
Tagged Cultural diversity, Ofcom, Public Service Broadcasting, UKCCD
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Home-working during the Covid19 pandemic
A useful roundup of the ONS data from The Guardian: “….some staff were more likely to work from home than others in a reflection of the uneven impact and experiences of the health emergency across the UK – with much … Continue reading
Posted in Coronavirus, Remote working, Workplaces
Tagged Coronavirus, Remote working, Working from home
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Personal data regulation – GDPR and EU cookie regulations
Workers often have their data stored and used in ways that don’t help or protect them. It will be interesting to see how Brexit affects this. This is from the Law Society Gazette.
Economy headlines for May 2021
Unemployment has fallen slightly and job vacancies risen to their highest level during the pandemic, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Inflation has doubled, with CPI rising by 1.5% in the twelve months to April (up … Continue reading
Posted in Employment, Inflation
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The British Broadcasting Challenge
Join the British Broadcasting Challenge campaign to protect Public Service Broadcasting from threats of underfunding, privatisation and deregulation. Tomorrow (20th May) at 10.30am. Speakers include: Cat Lewis Armando Iannucci Frank Cottrell-Boyce Emily Bell Also, follow @PSBfuture on Twitter.
Employment Agency or Employment Business?
A useful explainer from Net Lawman: An employment agency is one that provides staff who is then employed by the client employer. An employment business on the other hand, provides staffs who do not become employed by the hirer but … Continue reading
Posted in Employment intermediaries
Tagged Employment Agencies, Employment Businesses
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Data standards for industrial and occupational roles
SIC Codes are used to classify the activities of businesses. Standard Occupational Classifications are used by the Office for National Statistics to classify the jobs people do.
Red Wall – more on political bases
I don’t want to use this blog to focus much on party politics, but it is useful for everyone in Bectu to know how far the popular understanding of political bases is grounded in reality. This from YouGov: Is the … Continue reading
A few useful Health & Safety guides
There are some useful HSE documents on safe-working covering general work in audiovisual production, noise at work in music and entertainment, and the use of explosives and pyrotechnics in SFX – you can find the links to all of these … Continue reading
Posted in Health & Safety, Safe working practices
Tagged Audiovisual production, Explosives, Music venues, Noise, Pyrotechnics, Safe working, SFX
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Force Majeure
There’s a useful thread here from @davidallengreen explaining the origins and application of Force Majeure. The threadreader version is here. David has written this to comment on HMG’s speculation that they may use it in respect of the Northern Ireland … Continue reading
Britain’s ghost companies – BBC Radio 4 programme.
Very interesting BBC Radio 4 programme on the abuse of complex employment intermediaries. The File on Four team, Anna Meisel and Angus Crawford, have written this up here.
What are the main dividing lines in British politics?
It is often said that the main dividing lines in British politics now are age, education and home-ownership. Labour voters are younger graduates that pay rent to landlords, while Conservative voters are older homeowners that didn’t go to university. But … Continue reading
In-person right-to-work checks delayed
The obligation to perform face-to-face right-to-work checks has been delayed until 21st June. Here.
Posted in Employment Law and Rights, Migration & working abroad
Tagged In-person checks
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Remote working and productivity
Interesting post on Working From Home and productivity.
Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Management, Remote working, Workplaces
Tagged Productivity, Remote working, WFH
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Flat, non-coercive, non-heirarchical management
I asked a few friends if they could help me curate a good reading list for members who are considering establishing a co-operative employment business. I was looking for advice on creating flat, consensual, non-heirarchical, non-coercive management structures. Here are … Continue reading
Posted in Management, Ownership & Control
Tagged co-ops, Flat heirarchy, worker control
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Auto-enrollment is working – though progress is slowing. But what about freelancers?
Automatic Enrollment (AE) in workplace pensions started in 2012 when roughly 50% of workers were enrolled in some kind of workplace pension scheme. Thanks to AE, the latest ONS figures show that 78% are now enrolled. Growth is, however, leveling … Continue reading
Posted in Pensions
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Loan scheme – HMRC embarrassment
The Guardian is reporting that HMRC are facing criticism when it was revealed that contractors who worked for them had been using so-called “disguised remuneration” tax avoidance strategies that involved being paid using loans instead of salaries, thereby sidestepping the … Continue reading
Blanket determinations and IR35
A useful post from Contract Calculator on why blanket determinations on IR35 are a dangerous mistake for engagers to make. Blanket determinations are going to be damaging the industry as well as running contrary to the intentions HMRC have in … Continue reading