Bectu is the union for anyone working in theatre behind the scenes! Come see us on the stand to find out more about why you should join a trade union when you start work, and to enter our raffle with a fantastic prize… work experience at the English National Opera!
Don’t know what a union is? It’s a community of workers who campaign to maintain and improve good working practices in their industry. Bectu members can also get training to become union reps in their workplaces or for their freelance sector to represent the views of the members in their areas, and also to support & advise any members with a specific workplace issue.
Bectu also has members in a wide variety of roles across the media and entertainment industry in non-performance roles, not just theatre! We have members in live events, broadcasting, film and cinema, digital media, independent production, leisure, and the arts. Bectu’s membership currently stands at approximately 40,000.
Bectu members can be staff (employees) or freelance workers: that means full-time staff, part-time staff, project workers, contract workers, freelancers and casuals. Essentially, if you work in the sector in a non-performance role, you can join!
By signing up, you become part of a community of professional theatre workers who make decisions about the sector you work in. You get to have a say and vote within that community. Also, you secure union support for you as an individual, together with access to a range of benefits and services. For example, our freelancer members have access to subsidised public liability insurance. If you don’t know what that is, come and ask us at our stand, as you might need it when you start work!
BECTU’s wide-ranging work on behalf of members includes:
- Negotiating pay, conditions and contracts with employers
- Personal advice and representation for individual members
- Advice and representation on health and safety
- A raft of member benefits and services
- Training support and professional courses
- Networking events and career development opportunities
- A quarterly union journal, Stage Screen and Radio
- Members website including news, events and members’ only information and advice
The key aims of BECTU are to:
- protect jobs
- build our community to become stronger
- win new recognition agreements
- improve pay and conditions of service, including pensions
