30 November 2021

Last week, the Court of Appeal ruled that the calculation of the self-employed income support scheme (“SEISS”) indirectly discriminated against new mothers. This is an important decision and recognises the discrimination experienced by many new mothers, including creatives and Equity members. We are proud to have supported and helped fund the early stages of the case, which was brought by Pregnant Then Screwed. The Court of Appeal did, however, maintain that the urgency with which civil servants acted at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic justified the discrimination.

24 November 2021

We’re delighted to have finalised a series of major new additions to the Pact Equity TV agreement. For the first time, the agreement includes provisions for child performers and terms governing Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) original commissions. It also includes a ground-breaking clause that producers must provide professional standard hair and make-up to all members of the cast, regardless of ethnicity.

23 November 2021

We have a huge opportunity over the next few weeks. The government is currently consulting trade unions, businesses and workers for their views on whether the law should be reformed to strengthen the right to work flexibly, and support the needs of working families.

22 November 2021

We're pleased to have agreed a code of conduct with North East based professional wrestling organisation NORTH Wrestling. The code sets out terms and conditions for performers, staff and management in writing, provides a dignity at work policy, and allows time and access for performers to engage with the union.

17 November 2021

The government recently announced that artists no longer require visas for short-term work in Spain. We understand that this covers all performing artists including those working in film and TV for up to 90 days.

09 November 2021

In October, the Digital Radio and Audio Review published its report, which looked at future trends in listening and made recommendations to government on ways of strengthening UK radio and audio. The review projected a decline in analogue radio listening and called on the UK radio industry to begin preparing the ground for a possible switch-off of analogue services at some point after 2030.

05 November 2021

The union highlighted the enormous value of the creative industry and called on the government to adopt policies shaped by our members to strengthen the support for our industry

01 November 2021

Today SOLT and UK Theatre have released an updated version of their 10 Principles for creating safe and inclusive working spaces in the theatre industry. This is a welcome initiative that Equity is happy to support and promote. The industry needs to continually make efforts to ensure that these principles and policies are not just words on the page.

28 October 2021

Universal Credit (UC) has been at the very centre of Equity’s lobbying strategy and recent political debate. Huge swathes of the creative workforce accessed our social security system for the first time during the pandemic and still rely on UC to stay in the industry. Crucially, the £20 UC uplift introduced last year was a vital safety net, which helped many Equity members avoid destitution.

27 October 2021

Paul W Fleming, the General Secretary of Equity (the trade union for performing arts workers) has responded to today's Autumn Budget.