Equity, the Musicians' Union, The National Union of Journalists, BECTU and The Writers' Guild of Great Britain have joined forces to help freelance members develop the key business skills needed to support career progress.
A brief summary about each of the unions involved in this project follows. Find out more by following the links.
Equity members work across the whole range of professional entertainment including actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors. Formed in 1930 by a group of West End of London performers, it has 36,500 members and 4,500 student members. The main function of Equity is to negotiate minimum terms and conditions of employment throughout the entire entertainment sector and see to it that these take account of social and economic changes.
www.equity.org.uk
The Musicians’ Union represents musicians working in all sectors of the music business, regardless of their genre of music. The union was formed in 1893 and has around 30,000 members.* The MU promotes the rights and interests of its members and negotiates on behalf of musicians with all the major employers in the industry. The union offers a range of services tailored for the self-employed by providing assistance for full and part time professional and student musicians of all ages.
www.musiciansunion.org.uk
NUJ freelances work across the entire span of the media industry including broadcast, print and new media. Founded in 1907, the NUJ has 38,000 members.* The NUJ is an active, campaigning organisation seeking to improve the pay and conditions of our members and working to protect and promote media freedom, professionalism and ethical standards in all media.
www.nuj.org.uk
Bectu is the union for creative ambition. We represent over 40,000 staff, contract and freelance workers in the media and entertainment industries. Our members work in non-performance roles in live events, broadcasting, film and cinema, digital media, independent production, leisure, theatre and the arts.
Our members are ambitious, even when they face uncertainty and precarious conditions in their career. As a union, we’re ambitious, too. We will support members when something goes wrong at work and we’ll stand up for their rights and protect their jobs.
Whether you’re a staff member, worker or are self-employed we’re here for you at every step of your career – be it getting started in the creative industries, pushing for a promotion, or training for something new.
www.bectu.org.uk
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain supports writers across media including books, film, online, radio, theatre, TV and videogames. The Writers’ Guild campaigns and lobbies on behalf of writers and negotiates minimum terms agreements.
www.writersguild.org.uk