Chair: Josie Underwood
Minutes: Freddie Crossley
Present: Bill Bankes-Jones, Paule Constable, Paul Carey-Jones, Vicki Mortimer, Josie Underwood, Alistair Cope, Freddie Crossley
Apologies:
Updates and reports
Agenda points
English National Opera (PC)
- PC: Received news from Anna Lise at ENO with a request to support ENO who appreciated the noise from musicians and singers but asked if there is a possibility of raising a response from production
- There is no one place that all conversations can coalesce – so perhaps we should start here.
- It doesn’t affect every freelancer specifically, but it is important to recognise the wider impact
- Can we ask Aaptle to support the letter even if we don’t
- Raising the wider problem and impact of this (the loss of last remaining wig department, ethos and opportunity offered by ENO)
- JU: We would be assisting the articulation of a symptom. Given there’s no voice on the production
- PC-J: Does ENO have a plan? Is this part of a bigger picture?
- PC: We don’t know yet. We can’t solve the problem for them – we are diagnostic.
- PC-J: We can’t reverse this decision – but they’re frontier. If the government can shut down a major organisation without a response, it’s the beginning of the end for subsidised arts organisations.
- BB-J: Money has actually increased: we’ve got to be careful
- Freelance Voices: ENO’s never done anything for us and not sure what they’re target is
- PC: Actually pound for pound with inflation we’ve got a cut – the arts has not got a per capita lift. It’s less benevolent than it seems (in fact, not enough)
- AC: Lyric Hammersmith Jigsaw image – who is involved – these are the people it takes to run it. Is there something we/they can do to illustrate the effect on the people?
- FC: Framing this as a way that supports everyone (as opposed to a specific organisation)
- JU: Dismantling of safety (loss of skill and knowledge and endangering of workforce), of arts infrastructure, of centres for art – these are linked
- BB-J: How do we measure the success of ENO?
- PC-J: If we try to measure this by numbers, we undermine ourselves (If we try to value buildings on their financial output they’d all be cafes)
- We must ensure we are being clear on what basis we’re supporting it – this is a cunning political move (re whiney Londoners) – we’re threading the needle
- PC: Acknowledging in letter:
- Perhaps some aspects of this decision have been justified, and perhaps they have understood it to be coming for some time
- But that these decisions have much larger repercussions
- Somewhere like the ENO is valuable for particular reasons
- VM: Highlights symbolic value of public funding in relation to whether culture has any value at all
- Leveling Up shows culture does have value to the government but these examples show they don’t know how it works
- Contradictory messages – there is a recognition of value in the cuts themselves
- PC: Highlights the importance of doing something. Agreement to create (VC/PC) and read document (collective)
Rates of Pay – new data or lobbying current recs? (JU/FC)
- FC: Proposing creating a set of freelance employment rate guidelines: FMTW Standard Rate based on profession, level of experience and responsibility within a project (not a minimum).
- Problems with current Equity/ITC guides:
- too low
- behind a paywall meaning employers can’t necessarily access them (is that the idea – unions designed to protect members not provide guidelines for employers)
- despite being called ‘minimum’ they are treated as if they are standard rates – perhaps because there is no alternative guide
- it doesn’t offer comprehensive guidance on all roles or professions
- doesn’t reflect experience or responsibility within projects. I’m not sure equity would be prepared to change the whole structure of what they are doing
- CEOs meeting returned: “nobody knows how much they’re supposed to pay for a xxxxx with xx years experience and clear guidance would change that.”
- Mimi noted that iOpera has done work towards a fair pay survey but didn’t have the right people to analyse the data.
- Bill B-J says Directors UK have done something similar. PC notes ALPD work.
- Do we:
- Seek funding and/or partnership to conduct research to inform this and a way of updating this (perhaps automatically)
- Put something together ourselves as volunteers – perhaps opting for a blanket guideline (https://www.artistsunion.scot/rates_of_pay)
- Lobby for a more comprehensive and updated version from Equity
- Incorporate this into Big Freelancer Survey
- JC: will collate information around rates of pay
- PCJ: It could be an element of the Big Freelancer Survey but important to be aware that it is a big bit of work
- Frame it as “This is that start of the work”
- Dr Heidi Ashton (Warwick University) available for projects and research – large undertaking project
- Approving applications and ACE don’t have much idea of what people should be paid either
- VM: producers will offer more money for someone with more experience so maybe that aspect of it is redundant.
- Scene Change did research around how much people are getting paid and how that work was. Approached from both sides: Analysis of time (if I did this much time my fee would be this much), Analysis of fees (If I was offered this fee I would give this much time)
- Max Jones has gone to Equity with this data
- It’s about really knowing what the job is when looking at the rates (that’s where it gets easy for producers to pretend they don’t know) – it’s about contractual expectations
- PCJ: Can we play a signposting role (where one might go to get information if they don’t know) – Something like Glassdoor where people anonymously post their salaries – work into survey?
Action points:
- PC/VM Writing a support letter for ENO/ around the effects on technical staff
- FMTW to decide whether we will support it
- PCJ writing a newsletter?
- Josie collating info around rates of pay and then we’re to decide whether this is something we’d like to talk to Dr Heidi Ashton about.
Updates & reports
- Unions (JU)
- JU: Update on meeting – how we can engage people with unions more and how we can engage with unions
- Talking to unions about how we can engage with them
- without specifying particular unions create resource pack around what unions do and how freelancers can be empowered by them
- How freelancers have a better sense about how a union might be useful (in a context of financial anxiety)
- Member led: everyone joining a union needs to understand that it can only enact what you put in
- JU: Update on meeting – how we can engage people with unions more and how we can engage with unions
- Classroom (JU)
- JU Contacted by RTYDS on their project Classroom – a project about supporting working class freelancers (e.g. Surviving on a shoestring: gives financial advice)
- Focussed on class and freelancing. Keen to connect and talk with us.
- JU to share data with the, on Big Freelancer Report – and ask about what data we can gather for them in 2023 – how to focus questions to get more out of it in this area.
- How do we focus on the cost of living crisis?
- How is it affecting entry into and sustainability of working in the industry?
- JU Contacted by RTYDS on their project Classroom – a project about supporting working class freelancers (e.g. Surviving on a shoestring: gives financial advice)
Action points:
- JU to share data on Big Freelancer Report – and ask about what data we can gather for them in 2023
- creating resource pack around what unions do and how freelancers can be empowered by them?
AOB
- DCMS Brexit meeting Friday 2nd December 2022, 3pm – regarding DCMS response and how we can dig into them
- Recognising inertia (regarding regurgitated antiquated party line statement) – Rebutt claims that the problem is fixed.
- Viva la Visa – Hannah’s availability – do we need Hannah to be available for this meeting?
- Agreed to attend tomorrow and propose a secondary meeting with Viva la Visa (for specific examples)
- BBJ: Lizzy Crump (What Next?) still available to talk to us about how we operate.
- JU: Proposing push for new volunteers 2023 (increasing capacity) – proposed volunteers sheet – being specific about skills and ongoing work in invitation
- Is there anybody we want to bring in to the conversation with DCMS in January – consult colleagues about this?
- Fridays Meetings: suggesting alternating times for the first week of each month (next meeting between 5th-10th January 2023
- Pre meet to be arranged for DCMS team
- Al to monitor support email over FMTW (quiet but supportive) Christmas period (21st-4th?)
ACTION POINTS RECAP
- PC/VM Writing a support letter for ENO/ around the effects on technical staff – FMTW to decide whether we will support it
- PCJ writing a newsletter?
- JU collating info around rates of pay – FMTW to decide whether this is something we’d like to take to Dr Heidi Ashton, Warwick University
- JU to share data on Big Freelancer Report with RTYDS Classroom – and ask about what data we can gather for them in 2023
- creating resource pack around what unions do and how freelancers can be empowered by them?
- Reflect on potential new volunteers call out and who we might talk to in relation to DCMS meeting in January
- AC and JU to meet with Lizzie Crump
- Pre-meet to be arranged for DCMS Meeting in January 2023
- Christmas break to be agreed (proposed 21st December 2022-4th January 2023)
- Next FMTW general meeting to be arranged (suggested 5th-10th January 2023)
Upcoming Meetings
- Friday 2nd December 2022, 3pm (30 mins – ) Lobbying team: DCMS Brexit meeting – Propose a secondary meeting with Viva la Visa (for specific examples) – pre meet 2.30
- ~12th January 2023 (1 hr) Lobbying team: DCMS regular meeting – with set agenda around what we want to bring to them