West End Campaigns For Fair Pay Or Industry Will Strike

West End professionals are threatening strike action if their campaign for improvements within the industry is not addressed. The trade union Equity, which represents those in the arts and entertainment in the UK, is campaigning for a 17% pay rise among other requests.

The #StandUpFor17 Campaign

Equity wants to make “radical improvements, to work, rest, and pay in the West End – including a 17% rise on minimum pay for performers and stage management.” Ahead of negotiations with Society of London Theatre (SOLT) this spring, Equity’s members in the West End see pay as their number one priority. The union explains that as inflation and the cost-of-living crisis continues, two thirds of West End Equity members are considering leaving the industry, and almost half have a second job to pay the bills. They explain what the requests are, and how industry people can get involve, saying:

“The claim’s other top priorities are:

– A five day rehearsal week, and a rise to 34 days holiday minimum for all

– An increase of over 33% on swing payments, and a rise of over 100% on understudy and covering rates

As well as:

– A rise in the cap on incapacity salary to triple the minimum

– Increases to relocation allowance

– An additional 1 week to sick pay period

– A limit on holiday embargos

Read the full claim HERE.

The UK’s renowned live entertainment sector, which is worth over £1bn to our economy*, is at risk of losing its skilled workforce. Now is our chance to make sure our members stay in the West End and get paid what you deserve as skilled professionals on an internationally renowned theatrical landscape. Stand with us.

In the lead up to the negotiations in the next few weeks, Equity officials will be visiting workplaces to discuss the claim and how you can get involved!

Support the claim by sharing with us on social media your experiences and why you need a pay increase using hashtag #StandUpFor17.

Download our Stand Up For 17% campaign pack including social media banners HERE.

If you’re interested in helping the campaign by speaking to journalists about your experience of the West End, contact ssoh@equity.org.uk.”

The wider situation in the UK

What’s interesting about this situation in the UK is both struggling on a broad, nationwide level, as well as when specifically looking at the industry. If strikes were to take place across the arts and entertainment industries, they would be the latest in a long line of professions who are speaking out that they are unable to survive on a full-time wage – those in healthcare, refuse, transport, and education are just some who have turned to industrial action in recent times across the UK.

When looking at how other nations value their creative professionals, the numbers show a stark comparison. What’s On Stage have published a comparison between people working on the West End versus those working on Broadway, to take a look at what professionals earn for similar work in an average week. It makes a very interesting read, with the published highlight takeaways that:

• Actors earn on average £1,871 as a minimum weekly salary on Broadway, compared to a West End range between £629 for an eight-show minima at a “Category C” venue to £900 for a 12-show minima at a “Category A” venue.
• Stage managers earn an average of £2,349 per week for a Broadway musical, compared to a range on the West End between £759 and £898.
• Musicians earn an estimated £1,687 on Broadway compared to £1,104 for once-nightly performances on the West End.

With cuts across most, if not all, of the arts in the UK, it’s difficult not to feel that the nation is entering a crisis point – particularly when struggles are happening across so many other separate industries in wider society. Perhaps the strike action can be avoided, and if not, hopefully we can approach talks and negotiations with the view of paying people fair wages and providing decent working conditions across the board.

Equity Trade Union Website

Also by Michelle Sciarrotta: