Actors’ minimum wage up to £350 per week

Published Wednesday 25 October 2006 at 15:00 by Nuala Calvi

Actors across the UK have won a £50 a week pay rise, bringing the minimum rate for commercial theatre in the regions to £350 and paving the way for similar wage increases in the small-scale and subsidised repertory sectors.

The deal follows seven months of wrangling between Equity and the Theatrical Management Association, which originally rejected the 17% claim on the grounds that the sector was not enjoying big enough profits to support it.

TMA officials were forced to reconsider their position after a survey of casts across Britain revealed hundreds of performers were willing to take industrial action - from all-out strikes to overtime bans and holding the curtain - to get the rise.

However, union officials were unable to win a similar hike in rehearsal rates, which will increase by £15 this year to £300 and remain in line with inflation for the next two years.

They also failed to secure a 35-hour working week, agreeing to stick to the current 46-hour arrangement.

Equity assistant general secretary for theatre and variety Stephen Spence said: “Equity’s Annual Representative Conference has been looking for a £350 minimum for some time and achieving it is a significant result.

“Obviously we would prefer there wasn’t a difference between performance and rehearsal salaries but in all negotiations you win some and you lose some.

“We would have preferred an improved deal on hours as well but when we surveyed our members, the majority prioritised salaries.”

Under the new contract, which is yet to be approved by Equity’s ruling council, the weekly minimum for non-West End commercial shows will rise to £315 this year, backdated to September, followed by £330 next year and £350 in April 2008.

While the majority of actors on number one tours are already on more than £300, it is hoped the increase will push wages up by a similar percentage across the board

Subsistence and touring allowances will go up by 1% over inflation this year and 0.5% over inflation for each of the following two years.

In return, union officials have agreed to more flexibility on weeks out - periods during tours when artists are paid a reduced rate because no performances are scheduled - allowing managers to announce weeks out midway through a tour if a venue pulls out unexpectedly.

They have also agreed to more flexibility around the use of footage of shows for publicity purposes.

Robert Noble, chairman of the TMA’s industrial relations committee, said: “We’ve listened to Equity in terms of their concerns over pay but they have understood that if we’re putting up salaries we need some assistance in terms of flexibility over the contract.

“It is totally impractical for a producer to give artists all the dates for weeks out at the start of a tour and this was one of the main reasons that producers didn’t use the contract.”