The Independent Theatre Council (ITC) and trade union Bectu are rolling out a new pay and conditions agreement for in-house staff at independent theatres.
Under the agreement, admin, tech, management and other in-house staff are covered by minimum pay rates. The rates include a real living wage for entry level workers, of £13.15 per hour in London and £12 in the rest of the UK.
A weekly rate of £540 is set for trained professionals, up to £610 for senior technicians, supervisors or team managers with less organisational responsibilities, £630 for managers with more significant financial, personnel or other responsibilities, or those running larger teams, and £660 for heads of organisations or other senior leadership.
The two bodies have also agreed on improvements to sick pay, parental leave and redundancy pay for in-house staff at independent theatres across the UK.
The new contract is being launched officially at an opening event later today (17 September) before it is rolled out in theatres later this year.
ITC and Bectu are urging the industry to sign up to the contract, ahead of anticipated employment law reforms, which are expected from the Labour government within the next month.
“It’s no secret that low pay is one of the core issues driving skills shortages in the theatre sector, and our members deserve to be paid properly and treated well at work,” said Philippa Childs, Head of Bectu.
“Ahead of welcome reforms to employment law, this agreement is a crucial step forward in ensuring good employment practices and achieving a more stable working environment for our members.”