The Stage

Upfront and to the point

Published Monday 8 August 2005 at 12:15

Regarding the letter titled ‘Licence to fill’ (Opinion, June 23, page 6), the Department of Trade and Industry had promised to ban all upfront fees but did not do so.

In The Stage of September 16, 2004, Equity stated, “We are not opposed to book fees and never have been”. Yet Ian McGarry, general secretary, still cannot show me the relevant Equity conference motion, despite promising to do so.

Former head of DTI Employment Agency Standards, Vic Patterson, stated in the April 2005 Equity Journal, “Up-front registration fees have largely disappeared”. Yet the Parliamentary Ombudsman was inundated with union members’ up-front complaints, made through their MPs.

Following these and certain complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, the June Journal announced: “The 2004 (DTI) regulations made it an offence to require a performer to pay to go into a casting book before an agency would represent them.” Equity said it was successful in lobbying for this important clause. I have not seen the DTI invoking or even mentioning such a clause. Does it exist?

Under the EAS regulations, agencies are allowed to provide little work-seeking services and can take money as a precondition to representation. Whereas possibly only 10% of 2,000 performers get actual work, an up-front book fee of £100 can mean an estimated net profit for the agency of £140,000. Yet the DTI states £100 is reasonable.

Agencies can take the whole of your first and possibly only day’s earnings in fees. You have no right to the national minimum wage. Agencies can demand any commission rate they choose, state they are not an agency and offer work that does not exist.

What is the answer? Firstly, a total ban on all up-front fees, where commission can only be chargeable from actual work - no work, no commission. Secondly, a cap on commission rates. Third, all agencies should be relicensed.

It is now Bectu policy. Hopefully next year, it will become Equity policy.

Clive Hurst

Via email