PM must make good on his promise to fix the Brexit crisis

Bectu has co-signed a letter to the Prime Minister, proposing measures to tackle the new restrictions on the creative industries as a result of the new EU trade deal.

The letter, organised by the Incorporated Society of Musicians and signed by Unions and hundreds of industry figures, follows the Prime Minister’s evidence session with the Liaison Committee on 24^th March at which he committed to address the crisis that creative industries workers find themselves in following the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

In the absence of a clear and detailed plan from the government, the letter proposes the following measures:

• The government to negotiate a bespoke Visa Waiver Agreement with the EU, which would cover creative professionals, including technical and support staff and journalists.
• The government to negotiate bilateral agreements with key individual EU member states, that do not offer cultural exemptions for work permits.
• An emergency funding package to be put in place to support creative individuals in the interim of further negotiations.
• The government to take steps to reduce the adverse impact of the new cross trade and road haulage rules, which make it impossible for touring companies to facilitate pan-European tours.

Bectu has spent the past few months the lobbying the government to guarantee the ability for our members to work in the EU, and we strongly urge the Prime Minister to put these measures into practise. A commitment at a parliamentary committee is not enough to secure outcomes for our members.

The creative industries have been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, with thousands of Bectu members losing income as work has been put on hold. The government must detail the steps they are planning to take to resolve the Brexit crisis and enable a safe and successful return to work.