London backstage staff accept 5% pay rise offer

Published Monday 29 October 2007 at 17:00 by Alistair Smith

West End backstage staff have agreed to a 5% pay increase from London theatre managers, after a Bectu ballot saw union members vote three to one is favour of accepting the new contract.

The increase covers the rates of pay in the Bectu/Society of London Theatre agreement, and includes a further 1% increase in the employers’ minimum pension contribution, backdated to October 1, 2007.

Earlier this month, theatre managers took the unusual step of writing to backstage staff and encouraging them to accept the pay offer, which had then just been put to ballot.

Bectu supervisory official Willy Donaghy said that he felt that some members had voted against the deal because they had been “dissatisfied about the manner in which last year’s ‘interim award’ from SOLT had turned out to be their final offer” and because they were angry that managers had written to them urging them to vote in favour of the new deal.

However, he added: “I am pleased that the offer has been accepted and that now both SOLT and Bectu can concentrate on modernising the collective agreement and in so doing work towards bringing significant benefits to our respective memberships.”