As announced at 2020 Edinburgh TV Festival (25 August), WFTV along with major broadcasters and other TV industry bodies are backing a Coalition for Change on how to improve working practices for freelancers.
Public service broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, as well as Sky and UKTV, have committed to taking part in quarterly discussions which will also include the entertainment union BECTU and producers’ trade association Pact.
The meetings, which have been pulled together by Adeel Amini from the TV Mindset, which supports the mental health of TV freelancers, will address issues including employment and recruitment practices, health and safety, workplace culture, race and diversity, bullying and harassment, training and talent progression, new talent and mental health and wellbeing.
Organisations in the coalition have signed a document with a statement of intent that says: “We believe every freelancer working in our industry deserves decent working and that we should all advocate a culture that promotes respect, professionalism and investment in people.”
“The best creative content will come from an industry that puts people first, celebrates difference and enables us all to thrive. Ours is an industry made up of a huge range of different companies, broadcasters and talented people, and we all have a role to play in shaping the way we work.”
Adeel Amini, founder of the TV Mindset, said:
“The Covid crisis has brought freelancer issues into sharp focus, as well as the precarious nature of our industry as a whole. It is critical that we don’t emerge from this the same way we went in, and I believe that future change can only be achieved by having the entire industry working together.”
The first meeting will take place at the end of this month (September) and will continue every quarter until December 2021.
The full list of organisations who have signed up (in alphabetical order):
BBC
Bectu
Channel 4
Channel 5 (ViacomCBS)
Directors UK
Disabled People in TV
Film and TV Charity
ITV
Pact
ScreenSkills
Share My Telly Job
Sky
STV
The TV Collective
UKTV
The Unit List
Viva La PD
Women in Film and TV
The letter signed by all parties is as below:
