Bectu agrees to minimum wage rise of 3.5% in regional theatres

Published Tuesday 20 September 2005 at 12:10 by Nuala Calvi

Members of union Bectu have voted to accept a 3.5% increase in the minimum rate of pay for workers in regional theatre.

The across-the-board increase amounts to an extra £10 a week for someone on the minimum rate of approximately £6 an hour. It will affect several thousand workers in 150 venues outside London, from technicians and box office staff to cleaners.

Bectu supervising official Willy Donaghy admitted that the rise was lower on average than last year’s increase, when members received between 3-10%, but it was more than originally offered by the Theatrical Management Association.

“This is a smaller increase than in previous years but it is still above the rate of inflation and really consolidates what we have done in recent years to tackle low pay in theatre,” he said. “We are already drawing up our claim for next year, when we’ll want to make further in-roads. We still have a long way to go, because the theatre industry is historically very poorly paid.

Other amendments to the agreement include a 3.2% increase in meal and travel allowance and a 25% increase in touring allowance. Holiday entitlement has been increased by two days and pension contributions by 0.5%. The changes will be backdated to April 2005.

Donaghy added: “The increase in employer contributions to pensions is not great but it is a step in the right direction.”

TMA industrial officer Peter Morris said that bigger wage increases in previous years were the result of changes to the national minimum wage and that this year’s agreement was in line with settlements in other industries.

He added: “A lot of regional theatres pay in excess of the minimum - in some cases, well in excess - so this is just about negotiating a benchmark figure.”