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Equity considers the recent racist, far right violence a health and safety issue under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAW). We remind engagers, employers and venues of their obligations under health & safety law; and expect this developing situation to be treated as a health & safety issue when dealing with all of our members and all other workers.
Equity members who may be working close to the sites of these protests, or at a time of day when it feels more unsafe to be outside, may feel at risk. Equity members in specific sectors, such as drag, have been targets for far right violence in the recent past. Equity members belonging to the global majority, and LGBTQ+ members, will feel particularly unsafe at this time.
Equity sets out below the duties of care Equity expects of engagers, employers and venues under the relevant health & safety laws.
Below we also set out safety advice for all members to consider at this time.
In addition to the health & safety concerns, this is a political problem to which Equity will respond. The general secretary, Paul Fleming, has made a public statement about this far-right violence, which you can read here. The union will also respond industrially, through safety guidance, and member education on responding to the far right.
We will coordinate our campaigning activity against the far right through the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the umbrella body for unions to which Equity is affiliated. The TUC have made a statement on the far right violence here.
Updates on Equity’s safety guidance, member education and campaigning activity to respond to the far right will be shared with members via the newsletter, social media, and on this webpage.
If you have any workplace concerns as a result of the far right violence that has arisen this week, contact Equity here.
Safety obligations for producers, engagers and venues
Equity expects engagers, employers and venues to consider their obligations under HASAW, and take the following actions in the context of the far right violence becoming a health & safety issue:
- Update your risk assessment to account for possible far right activity; considering workers arrival and departure times, modes of transport, and hazards on site.
- Brief the workforce on how you plan to manage disturbances, keep them regularly updated.
- Consider what additional security measures will be needed
Engagers, producers and venues have a joint responsibility under health & safety law for the safety of everyone on a worksite.
Safety advice for members
- Consider how you are travelling to and from work. What are your and your co-workers journeys into work from your accommodation like? If there are vulnerable or anxious company members who are staying on their own and would therefore be travelling in to work alone, can other company members meet them to travel in together? Can taxis be provided to/from the workplace?
- Ask for an updated risk assessment from the producer and venue. Has the producer updated the risk assessment to account for the threat of far right activity? A risk assessment should identify all the hazards on or around a production and set out the steps that will be taken to minimise those hazards to keep the workforce safe. Far right activity near your workplace is a hazard. You can ask if the risk assessment has been updated and what additional steps have been put in place.
- What are the security arrangements in the venue itself? This will not be under your own producers’ direct control because it is a matter for the venue/receiving house you are working in - but your producers will be asking this question of the venues where far right protests have taken place and they should be able to share updates with you via the company manager to reassure you that your safety security in the building itself has been addressed.
- Ask to be fully and regularly updated on changed that producers/venues make to respond to the changing situation, and on how the venue will manage disturbances. Your fellow workers who are front of house or stage door staff in these venues will expect - and deserve - be fully briefed on how to manage any disturbances in a way that keeps them, the workforce on a visiting show and your audiences safe. You can ask for an overview of what additional measures have been put in place in the venue.
Summary: Be in communication with your engager/producer and Equity Dep or Official to be across the workplace situation and any important safety updates.
Cancellations: If your engager/producer/venue cancels your work due to these events, contact Equity as soon as possible to ensure we can enforce your contract.
Contact us: If you have any workplace concerns as a result of the far right violence that has arisen this week, contact Equity here.
How to keep yourself informed
There is no single far right group coordinating the current violence. Many groups are organising online and through platforms such as telegram, which make it hard to track their plans. However, they make public announcements about where they plan to hold their next rallies. They do this to test their support, so not all locations will see a rally as advertised.
Good online sources to check for information about what far right groups might be planning are:
Hope Not Hate @hopenothate
Stand Up to Racism - @AntiRacismDay
Check their feeds so you can see if there is likely to be any future activity in places you are working/touring/visiting.
Racist hate and division has no place in our industry or in our society. The trade union movement has a proud history of opposing racists and fascists, and of rejecting their messages of hate that divide workers and communities. Read our General Secretary’s statement against the far right violence here.