The Stage

Seventh defeat on equal rights spells disaster for CIU

Published Tuesday 6 April 2004 at 15:10

Club & Institute Union reformers have failed for a seventh time to win equal rights for women members, leaving it almost certain the organisation will be bankrupt in three years.

The motion to delete rule 12 (e) of the body’s constitution, which denies full membership rights to women, was defeated even though 815 to 485 voted in favour. Under CIU rules a clear two thirds majority is required. In percentage terms, the vote amounted to only 64.7% of attendees at the body’s annual conference in Blackpool. That is a lower percentage than the year when the 66.2% voted in favour - just 0.4% short of a majority.

Conference also heard that the organisation, whose members comprise one of the largest employers of light entertainers in the UK, had an operating deficit of almost £1 million for the past year. Allowing full rights to women, thus enabling more of the coveted pass cards to be sold, was seen as a way of generating more income.

With just £3 million in assets, general secretary Kevin Smyth said another way had to be found of generating income if the union is to survive.

“We were disappointed to lose the vote to delete rule 12e but it was a very close vote and it is inevitable that we will get the majority eventually,” he said. “The union’s assets at present are around £3 million so therefore deficits of around £1 million a year would see the union without any funds or assets within three years. However, it should be taken into account that this year’s meeting also voted to raise the price of the pass card from £2 to £3 and obviously this will help.”

This year’s deficit mirrors that of the year before but that was reduced to around £600,000 by the sale of some of the CIU’s north London headquarters to a restaurant and a pub chain. Sales of pass cards were down by 4.2% in 2003, dipping under one million for the first time. It is estimated that 2004 sales will fall by a further 3.9%. Again, many in the union are blaming the damage the women’s membership issue is doing to the body’s public profile. An underperforming stock market portfolio was also blamed.

Union president Bryan Winter told conference: “I look to the future with despair, with income to the union down by 30%.”

While the union’s accountant Steven Connell said that unless the financial situation does pick up, “services will have to be curtailed”. The CIU currently operates two convalescent homes and also promotes club management training via a diploma scheme. Its branches across the country have entertainment sections that present showcase events in order to bring new acts into clubland.

Recent attempts to increase income have failed. An attempt by the CIU leadership to introduce compulsory pass card - giving entry into any affiliated club - was rejected by the membership in November and the national bingo game was wound up last month after the company operating it went into administration.

Around 52% of clubs now have women as full members, although they are denied full rights, and there are 220,311 female members of clubs. An attempt in March to take the CIU to an employment tribunal, claiming that its treatment of women is in breach of sex discrimination law, failed.