Qdos agrees breakthrough on Equity/TMA wage contract deal

Published Wednesday 3 November 2004 at 16:45 by Jeremy Austin

Performers with the world’s biggest pantomime producer Qdos will, for the first time, be working on contracts agreed with Equity and the Theatrical Management Association.

Although the union has never taken issue with Qdos for not using its contracts - the company has had terms based on Equity’s that operated on the Equity minimum - it has rankled with senior staff that such a major employer was not using the agreement.

Following the launch of a new commercial theatre agreement and the simplifying of the document, however, Qdos has agreed to use it. This means that performers and stage managers will now have the option of pension payments as well as access to a procedure for dealing with problems.

Head of theatre and variety at Equity Christine Payne said: “Qdos is an extremely important player in commercial theatre and the biggest and most successful pantomime producer in the world.

“Every year they employ hundreds of our members as performers, dancers, singers, speciality acts and stage managers. This new contract gives Qdos the flexibility it needs as a producer and our members the benefits and protections they need.”

It is now hoped that other pantomime producers will follow suit, although many of the commercial operators are not members of the TMA either.

“While we think the new agreement is much better than the previous one, one of the most important things we wanted was wider use,” said Payne.

“I think the TMA is not representing some of the pantomime producers they should be, so part of this is to see if the TMA can get them back under contract and using the agreement.”