Bectu deal opens West End for Sunday shows

Published Tuesday 12 April 2005 at 14:25 by Jeremy Austin

Technicians’ union Bectu and the Society of London Theatre have brokered a historic deal that has removed the final barrier for producers and theatre owners wanting to programme Sunday performances in the West End.

Although the Musicians’ Union and Equity have blanket agreements that permitted Sunday performances, Bectu did not. Anyone wanting to stage Sunday performances had to enter into lengthy negotiations with the union. The initial package was narrowly rejected by West End members, but a new offer included improvements on the use of special contracts and on the Sunday show arrangements. It was accepted by more than 80% of those entitled to vote.

Bectu supervisory official Willy Donaghy said: “The improvements negotiated are a testament to the solidarity of our members in the West End and a significant step forward in Bectu’s ongoing campaign to eradicate low pay throughout the UK theatre industry. We now have a more modern agreement that has the potential to benefit our members financially and in terms of quality time off work, which also provides a better platform from which to see further improvements in the future.”

The other main elements of the agreement include a 5.5% increase on all rates of pay within the collective agreement backdated to October 2004; minimum calls for staff who volunteer to work on Sunday performances; the extension of the union’s collective recognition to include call centre workers, sound and automation staff, and theatre management; the introduction of employers’ pension contributions; and improvements to sickness, holiday and maternity provisions.

Chief executive of SOLT Richard Pulford said the organisation’s members were delighted that a deal had finally been agreed, but he added he did not think the West End would start operating like Broadway, with every show having a Sunday performance.

“I think it remains to be seen how many more Sunday performances there will be. It will depend on the type of show,” he said.