Bectu joins action group to tackle low pay in London’s creative industries

Bectu has joined other accredited London Living Wage employers from the creative industries on a new action group focused on tackling low pay and insecure work.

The Creative and Cultural Action Group is a coalition of industry, civil society and public organisations including important industry stakeholders such as the Greater London Authority, ITV Studios and Creative UK.

Part of the ‘Making London a Living Wage City’ campaign, launched by Citizens UK and the Living Wage Foundation, the project aims to boost the number of accredited Living Wage and Living Hours employers across the capital. Read more about the action group here.

The creative industries employ approximately 3.5 million people across the UK, 25% of which are based in London. The sector has one of the highest proportions of low-paid jobs compared to other industries within the capital, with new analysis by the Living Wage Foundation finding that 20.4% of jobs that fall under ‘arts, entertainment and recreation’ are paid below the London Living Wage of £11.95 an hour.

Bectu has long been campaigning for better pay across the creative sectors and will be advocating for its members via the action group.

Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said:

“We are proud to join so many key industry players to tackle low pay and precarious working across the creative industries. It’s no secret that these issues are driving workers out of the sector and contributing to the industry’s chronic skills shortage. We need urgent action to ensure the sector can both attract and retain the best talent.

“Our members are highly skilled, talented professionals who deserve to be paid fairly. They have been some of the hardest hit by the worsening cost of living crisis and many continue to face insecure employment following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They and the whole creative workforce bring so much value to Londoners’ lives, and to people across the UK – socially, culturally and economically. We look forward to continuing to advocate for our members to ensure a more equitable and sustainable future for the creative industries.”