6 Reasons to join BECTU, the union for creatives

By Tamara Cincik

While I was launching Fashion Roundtable, one of the many conversations I had with our Fashion Director Karen Binns was about the vulnerability of many in the sector to non payments, late payments, evidence of sexual or racially motivated work abuse. Also we shared the realisation that fashion, unlike many other industries, does not have a union to represent many of our voices and protect our interests. By comparison, my husband works in the film industry which makes far less for the UK economy, and it has what’s known as APA rates for all film technicians from Director of Photography down to Camera Loader and Runners. They receive overtime and there are set regulated hours for shoots— so while some production companies will ask to do a deal on a budget production, everyone is singing from the same choir sheet. It is not the Wild West, where figures can be plucked out of thin air for what a stylist, or fashion assistant will be paid. Plus there is a procedure whereby if a client is late in paying, they are contacted by the union and if that continues, they are blacklisted.

As a stylist you can earn more than a head of a costume department, but you are not protected by a union, you often work less days (Covid 19 self-isolation notwithstanding) and you have few resources to chase late payments, let alone a blacklist of shame. Fashion assistants have told me they are often earning what I did in the mid 1990s, which is clearly not in line with inflation (given my friend bought a two bed flat in Camden for £57,000 in 1996!). Fashion makes over £32bn so this suggests it is not distributing this in a systemised way which supports team members and talent. This is why I lobbied BECTU the union for the media and entertainment industries to add fashion stylists and assistants to their list of careers to work with, which they have now agreed to do.

So many people I know facing cancellations on all their work due to the COVID 19 pandemic, with no recourse for protection, benefits and sick pay if they do fall ill. Please help those inside parliament understand your situation to change policy. Tracy Brabin MP the Shadow Culture Secretary is compiling a dossier of evidence of all creative industry freelancers who are affected by loss of earnings from COVID 19. Please email her and share your story if this is you via tracy.brabin.mp@parliament.uk

Here are my 6 Reasons to take the plunge and join the union:

1) Protections for late or non payments, which the union will then go after and blacklist companies who do this.

2) Insurance for up to £10,000 of lost or stolen work related items. (I negotiated with BECTU to raise this figure up from £5,000 as designer clothes for shoots are so expensive). It covers work equipment insurance.

3) Clarity on wages laid out formally and overtime payment policies.

4) Union support to lobby the government for fashion creative workers to be added to any benefits scheme in times of a national crisis - such as NOW.

5) Protections on cancellation fees.

6) It’s currently cheaper to join Bectu than ever thanks to the reduction to just £7.50pcm down from £21 they have put in place to encourage fashion creatives to join.

And here are their 6 reasons, as listed on their website:

1) Protection, independent advice and support at work
2) We’ll pay your legal fees
3) We’ll save you money
4) We’ll support your career
5) We can negotiate your pay, terms and conditions
6) Huge discounts on public liability insuranceI appreciate that many of us are considering how to cut their outgoings, but I think that joining BECTU will be the best £7.50 you could spend this month.