What is a trade union?

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Bectu is part of Prospect trade union. Trade unions are organisations made up of members who come together to look after their interests at work. The members, usually made up of employees or workers, collectively negotiate with their employers over issues such as pay, health and safety, and terms and conditions like as maternity leave, holiday entitlement or sick pay.

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However, as important as terms and conditions are, unions are about much more. At Bectu, we work to progress your career, give you exclusive networking opportunities, and we have a helpful benefits package that can save you money outside of your work life.

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Unions also campaign about key issues in society – as members are often affected by them. Key trade union issues currently include the climate crisis, gender equality and the cost of living crisis.

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How does a union work?

 

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Unions are groups of workers organised together to improve their working conditions and lives. In most workplaces where unions are active, members will get together to talk about what’s going on – and any problems they are having. The issues most likely to come up are working conditions, pay, pensions, health and safety at work, bullying and unfair treatment and pay. The union members elect someone to speak for them, called a representative who represents their views within Bectu. 

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In many workplaces, the union is legally recognised by the employer. In these workplaces, Bectu has the right to formally negotiate with managers about pay and other terms and conditions. A union becomes recognised either when enough members have joined and the employer has agreed to recognise the union, or when the union has won a vote of workers.

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Most sensible employers welcome having a union in their company. They understand that it is better for workers to be able to raise problems and sort them out rather than having to just put up with unfairness or poor treatment. And unions can help companies plan for the future and manage change – as well as making sure workers have an independent voice if big changes like redundancies or site closures are planned.

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Find out more on the Trade Union Congress's website.

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What are branches?​​

Branches allow members to group together and organise in the union. Every member of the union is a member of a branch. Our branch is the Post Production and Facilities (PP&F) branch which is also known as our brand name "The Rough Assembly". We cover workers within Post Production & Facilities who either work and/or live within London or the South East of England.

 

We have over 1000 members who work in all areas, grades and genres within picture and sound editorial as freelancers and staff from Post Production Runners to award-winning Picture and Sound Editors. We actively work to maintain competitive, fair and thriving Post Production Departments and to improve conditions in the Film, TV and Web-Based Video Industries.

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The day-to-day work of a branch is overseen by a committee of elected members who are also known as union representatives. Union representatives are volunteers who carry out and support the work of the union.

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What are union representatives?​​​

Our union representatives work in post production just like you as Editors, Assistant Editors, Runners, ADR & Dialogue Editors. We believe in the power of working together through the union to improve our pay and working conditions and volunteer our time to lead the branch.

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We work across scripted, unscripted and short form as freelancers and staff in post production facilities and departments within production companies. Check out our latest work for members in Offline and VFX Editorial, Post Sound and Music and Post Production Facilities. 

 

Would you like to support the work of the branch, develop your skills or join discussions on how to improve our working hours and conditions, training or welfare for you and your colleagues? ​Please fill out our Rep Enquiry Form.

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We meet with our branch members, listen to their queries, and discuss how we can support them in regular meetings. We confidently promote their interests through impactful campaigns and projects such as our mentoring schemes, assistant editor's toolkits and rate cards that are widely advertised throughout the Post-Production community.​​

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We also send representatives from our Committee to negotiations with Industry bodies, such as the collective representing production companies, PACT, which inform contracts, deal memos and agreements in Film and TV.

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Find out more about our committee and the roles available here.

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What do Bectu Staff and Officials do?

 

Bectu also employs paid staff to support members including:

• Organising Officials who provide training, help plan recruitment and organisation campaigns and give advice on overcoming barriers in workplace organising. Officials also work on member's cases on workplace issues including legal rights and employment law, rate queries, unfair dismissals and redundancies, monies owed, pensions and bullying and harassment.  

• Negotiating Officers who negotiate with employers and secure better terms for members

• Researchers who gather data, information and industry intelligence on key issues like AI 

• Lawyers and Solicitors who provide expert support in personal cases and workplace disputes

• Communication Officers who manage websites, publications, marketing and press

• Education and Training Officers who focus run vocational and skill-based courses ​​​​​​​​​​