The Stage

Working Title under fire for flouting extras’ pay deal on Les Mis

Published Thursday 16 February 2012 at 10:21 by Matthew Hemley

Film producer Working Title is at the centre of yet another dispute over extras’ pay, with union BECTU claiming the company is underpaying performers working on the big screen version of Les Miserables.

The disagreement follows claims last year that Working Title was underpaying performers in its production of Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley.

BECTU’s latest disagreement with the producer began after it emerged extras are being offered a flat rate of £110 a day to appear in Les Miserables, which stars Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. The union argues this falls below the minimum set out in its Film Artistes Association agreement with producers’ body PACT, of which Working Title is a member.

It is calling on the company to resolve the situation by engaging in talks with both itself and PACT. If it fails to do this, BECTU said it would refer the matter to the independent Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Spencer MacDonald, national official at BECTU, told The Stage: “The big issue is they have walked away from the PACT/FAA agreement. This then opens up the opportunity for the production to configure the working day and conditions in any format they like. The agreement is in place so productions treat members fairly and the film extra doesn’t feel exploited.”

MacDonald described the rate of £110 as a “buy out”, meaning extras will not get their entitlement to travel and overtime pay, which could put the rate they are entitled to under the BECTU/PACT agreement at around £190. He said: “All the major studios adhere to the agreement. I don’t think it is good news for Working Title as an employer. This is about their attitude towards the agreement, which is disappointing.”

The union official said there is a disputes procedure in the PACT/BECTU agreement, which would “lead all the way to ACAS”.

“If we don’t get the result we want on this one, I hope we can put some mechanism in place so it does not happen again,” he said, adding: “Working Title were a leading light. If they are cutting bills like this it sends a bad signal to what kind of employer they are.”

PACT said it had discussed the issue with BECTU and had “no further comment to make”. Meanwhile, Working Title declined to comment.

BECTU’s dispute follows complaints about the way extras who attended an open-call casting day in Kent this month were treated. People who were hoping to be seen for a part in the film complained on Facebook that hundreds ended up being turned away, despite queuing for hours.

Responding, Uni-versal Extras, which organised the casting, wrote on Facebook that open castings will always have “long queues and significant waiting” but admitted it had not foreseen “the huge numbers that attended”.