The Stage

Unions put pressure on government to reintroduce entertainment agency licensing

Published Tuesday 29 March 2011 at 17:57 by Matthew Hemley

Campaigners calling for the reintroduction of agency licensing are demanding a meeting with business secretary Vince Cable, claiming a lack of regulation is putting the “most vulnerable section of the entertainment industry” at risk.

Equity and BECTU have written to Cable, highlighting a petition they organised which has been signed by more than 3,000 people and which calls on the government to bring back agency licensing – a measure scrapped in 1995.

The letter claims the petition “reflects some of the strength of feeling about the current lack of regulation”.

It adds: “Support for the petition comes from agents, walk-ons and performers, all of whom support the greater protection for those working, and seeking work, in the entertainment sector.”

Actors including Tim Pigott-Smith and playwright Arnold Wesker have also signed the petition.

The letter says that “freelances are the most vulnerable section of the entertainment industry workforce” and that the “current lack of agency regulation exacerbates this situation”.

It also claims that charges which casting companies can make for including performers’ details on a website or in a directory allow rogue organisations to make money where there is “little prospect of work”, and adds that this “is a serious disservice to both those trying to make a living and those who are seeking to gain a foothold”.

“This state of affairs is a stain on the industry which we trust you will be concerned to address,” it adds.

BECTU and Equity’s letter concludes that licensing would assist genuine employment agencies, provide better protection for those who are being charged and restrict the practices of rogue agents.

However, a BIS spokes­person said it did not intend to reintroduce licensing for the entertainment sector.

“Recent changes in the law will have a significant impact on the abuse that occurs in the sector,” said the spokesperson.

“We have put safeguards in place that ensure that workers in the entertainment sector are adequately protected from the attention of rogue agencies whilst still having the opportunity to look for work.

“We do not think a licensing regime is appropriate for this sector and our priority is effective enforcement of the existing regulatory framework, not further licensing.”