Theatre workers highlight industry fears and financial concerns in Bectu consultation

Theatre workers are terrified of the industry being ‘forgotten’ by government, a Bectu consultation has found.

The results highlighted that many theatre workers are deeply concerned about how their finances will be affected if the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends prematurely.

Nearly 750 people took part in a ThoughtExchange, organised by Bectu, asking them to highlight their concerns about returning to work.

The platform allows people to anonymously post an opinion or ‘thought’ in response to  one question and to also rate the thoughts that other people have shared.

Bectu members and others working in the theatre industry were asked: “What are your main concerns regarding the steps that will need to be taken for your theatre or production to open up for business again in a safe and viable way?”

The question generated 666 responses which have been ranked from 1 to 666 depending on the number of ratings they attracted.

Some of main concerns revolved around the consequences of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme closing.

The top rated thought was: “I’m worried the government furlough scheme will end when ‘lockdown’ officially ends but theatres will not be allowed to open for many more months”.

Other top thoughts related to a similar theme. “The worry is that we will be one of the last industries to reopen, and this will be after any grants and furlough monies will be discontinued”, was the second highest rated thought.

As well as highlighting concerns about the furlough scheme simply ending others questioned whether employers will be financially secure enough  to top-up their salaries as the CJRS tapers off.

“If the furlough payment gets lowered as is being discussed will our employers top up any of the differences?” was the seventh highest rated thought.

Meanwhile the tenth highest rated was: “That there will be mass redundancies with no hope of an end point where returning might be possible.”

Other thoughts generated indicated that many theatre workers believe that the theatre industry will be forgotten by government. One respondent’s thought which was ranked ninth: “Firstly I am concerned that we are going to be forgotten about when the rest of the country starts to go back to work.”

The risk of homelessness, mass redundancies and the expendability of casual workers employed on zero-hours contracts were also all raised.

The results have emerged after Bectu’s latest survey of creative freelancers found that 50% have been forced to borrow money during the COVID-19 crisis because they don’t qualify for government income support schemes.

Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said:

“The extension of the furlough schemes is very welcome but many people are still facing a massive cliff edge with huge uncertainty ahead of them. As long as social distancing restrictions continue to be necessary, Bectu is acutely aware that the challenges for theatres to open again grow each day.

“In recent weeks we have heard dire warnings from the industry’s leading lights, most recently Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, which has highlighted that without government support the future is perilous.

“Those concerns are backed up by the views of numerous theatre professionals who are deeply concerned about their future. Regional theatres such as Southport Theatre and Southampton’s Nuffield Theatre have already collapsed under the financial pressure caused by the pandemic and the void they leave will be felt most by those who depended on those organisations for their livelihoods.

“The industry is facing a potential catastrophic impact from COVID-19 and government, employers and workers must come together to develop  a strategy for our cultural sectors survival.”