The Stage

Laying down the law

Published Tuesday 8 December 2009 at 10:00

In responding to “Lukewarm response for law to ban up-front fees for walks and extras” (News, November 19, page 2) Equity councillor Clive Hurst states: “Certainly the big agencies in London will still be able to charge up-front fees. All they will do is just change the name of the up-front fee from casting directory fee to photography fee.” (“Up-front fees - Hard to figure”, November 26, page 8). If they do then they will be committing a criminal offence.

This is just another example of the ignorance of those at Equity and BECTU as to the law with regard employment agencies and employment businesses.

I therefore first draw Mr Hurst’s attention to the fact that photography services - whether the taking of the photos or the supplying of the photos - are not work-finding services; and then to the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. Under the terms of the conduct regulations it is a criminal offence for an employment agency or an employment business to make the provision to work-seekers of the employment agency’s or employment business’s work-finding services conditional upon the work-seeker using any other service - whether provided by the employment agency or employment business or by anyone with whom the employment agency or employment business is connected.

This not only applies to photographic services, it is also a criminal offence (and has been so since 1976) for an employment agency or employment business to require that models or actors, or any other work-seeker, undergo training at the employment agency/employment business’s modelling/acting school.

Ray Hoppkrofft

Modelling Information Service

Barker Street

West Yorkshire