Equity has served notice to SOLT (Society of London Theatre) and UK Theatre that the union will begin work on issuing guidance on fees for theatre designers from October, after prolonged negotiations and proposals failed to address key issues of rate increases, intellectual property, credits and royalties. The union is asking designers to sign an open letter in a final attempt to make progress and avoid what the union is calling the “extraordinary and extreme step” of abandoning the collective agreement.
At the end of 2025, Equity received an offer on the SOLT/Equity Agreement for Designers that was rejected unanimously by our Directors and Designers Committee. Equity consulted with Designers who had worked on the Agreement, as well as with members of the ALPD (Association for Lighting, Production and Design), SBTD (Society of British Theatre Directors) and Scene/Change, and received further confirmation that the offer from SOLT could not be accepted.
The proposals did not meet Equity’s ambitions for the substantial improvements to minimum fees that Designers deserve, and insufficient progress was offered on other important issues to Designers of all disciplines, including proper crediting, copyright, quantifying working time and royalties.
In response, we wrote to SOLT setting out a demand for an immediate significant uplift to the minimum rates and requesting substantive negotiations in order that we could progress the non-financial elements of our claim and modernise the wider terms and conditions set out in the agreement.
Three months have passed: the uplift to minimum rates has not been agreed, and substantive negotiations have not been offered.
Equity’s General Secretary, Paul Fleming, has written to SOLT and UK Theatre to provide formal notice that the union no longer considers the rates under the agreement to have any effect, and that Equity will begin the necessary work to issue our own guidance on what minimum fees for Designers should be – alongside a new structure for fees that better reflects the value of a Designer’s labour, intellectual property, and professional skill.
This will include the introduction of day rates on top of minimum fees and improved royalty provisions across both the SOLT and UK Theatre Agreements.
An Equity spokesperson said: “Terminating part of our collective agreements, and unilaterally issuing fees as a union, is an extraordinary and extreme step. However, we believe that SOLT’s inaction with respect to our Designer members and the wider Designer workforce leaves us with no choice.
“We are not prepared to await a further derisory percentage offer which does not resolve the underlying structural issues with the agreement, and we are committed to securing meaningful action to progress the issues we have been seeking to resolve in a standard industrial relations process since 2023.
“SOLT and UK Theatre have been given one month from the date of our letter to respond to us. Once that month has expired, in mid-September, we will begin the necessary work to ensure that the position outlined above is operable from October, ie we will begin issuing our own rates for theatre design work.
“We ask all Designers to stand with us. Add your name to this open letter to demonstrate your support for your union’s position.”
