Bectu is proud to support The Time Project, a digital time and rates tracking tool developed by Share my Telly Job to help workers in the screen industries reclaim their data.
The Time Project lets users log the unpaid hours they work and crucially, allows them to compare their rates and hours (anonymously) with people across the industry in similar roles.
We know the detrimental impact that long hours culture has on mental health and for too long, these concerns have been dismissed as simply an unalterable reality of working in the industry. It shouldn’t be this way. All workers deserve to have dignity at work, and the film and TV industries should be no different.
Union power comes from a collective of workers demanding change, and this app will only make a difference if enough people sign up to it.
This app is in its infancy and new features will be added as more users sign up. In the coming weeks, there will be an option to record commute times and the ability to keep track of overtime hours and rates. There will also be functions to record emotional wellbeing and signpost users to support services, along with a downloadable time log for users to keep a personal record of hours worked per contract.
The Time Project provides our members in Film and TV the data on how much they work, how many unpaid hours they are working and whether what they are being paid is a fair rate for the work they do. We encourage our members to get involved and start logging their hours today. The more people who sign up to the app, the more collective voices there will be to help us demand change in the industry as a union. If you’re a member and need help at work don’t forget to get in touch with your rep or contact us directly
Head of Bectu Phillipa Childs said: “I am excited about the potential of The Time Project to make a real difference to Bectu members and I am proud that we are supporting it. The app lets workers reclaim their data and I encourage Bectu members to take a look at the app and start tracking their hours today.
“Bectu has been campaigning for dignity at work in the industry for a long time and if enough people sign up, this data could help us make lasting changes to working conditions in the industry.”
Share My Telly Job Co-Director Lou Patel said: “For the first time, we are able to create a thorough and reliable snapshot of how workers are paid for their time, how they work and really drill down on how diversity, socio-economic status, years of experience, location affects our time and value. We can monitor rates of pay across broadcaster and genre and see where the burden of overwork lies.”
The Time Project has been developed as part of on-going work into industry best practice being undertaken by The Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN) and is supported by Bectu.