FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF JOINING A UNION?

Your membership also provides access to free legal advice and practical assistance if things go wrong for you at work. You can also get guidance on tax and contract law. But there is something much bigger than that. By joining the union you are strengthening the only organisation that is working to make the industry better for the people who work in it.

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DOES BEING IN A UNION MEAN THAT THERE ARE STRICT RULES AS TO WHAT ARTISTS CAN BE PAID? (I.E. ARE THERE ANY CAPS ON PAY FOR CERTAIN ROLES?)

No. All union policies are made democratically which means a pay cap would never be called for unless it were agreed by the majority of members in the bargaining unit – and BECTU members have never indicated any interest in pressing for any pay caps. The union would press for minimum professional industry rates for low- paid workers though.

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IF WE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING PAID OVERTIME WOULDN'T IT DAMAGE THE UK ANIMATION AND VFX INDUSTRY?

Almost every other high-tech industry recognises that long hours working is counterproductive. It actually reduces productivity and damages the quality of work. Overtime penalties are designed to encourage employers to plan and schedule more effectively. BECTU only wants Overtime payments as a deterrent to bad management practices. They are a win-win for both employer and employee. Canada is a great example of a country with a flourishing VFX industry where overtime penalty payments are legally required.

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HOW MUCH OF A SAY DO WE HAVE IN UNION DECISIONS? ARE THERE DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES?

Yes. Unions only ever make decisions democratically. By contrast, VFX artists working in studios without an active union currently have very little influence over decisions directly affecting their working life.

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WHAT IMMEDIATE RESULTS CAN I EXPECT IF I JOIN?

As soon as you join the union you qualify for assistance in any new workplace problems you have. You can also take advantage of financial and legal advice services, along with several discounts and educational opportunities. Long-term however, the rewards are more fulfilling. Ultimately we are aiming to improve pay, reduce working hours and improve job opportunities. We can only do this by sticking together.

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MIGHT A UNION CALL STRIKES, POTENTIALLY ALIENATING THE ARTISTS FROM THE STUDIOS?

BECTU is a democratic union. There has never been any inclination to use strikes as a tool to challenge the employers in the VFX industry. Our members would never support it unless the employers have behaved outrageously. The threat of some limited industrial action (e.g. a collective refusal to work overtime) can sometimes strengthen negotiations, but we would only consider balloting for this kind of action in the last resort – and it would involve getting over all kinds of legal hurdles.

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COULD ANIMATION AND VFX UNION SUCCESSES RESULT IN WORK THAT IS DONE IN THE UK GOING ABROAD?

It is a mistake for professional artists to get involved in a ‘race to the bottom’ and unionising in the UK will have no negative impact on how work is outsourced to other countries. The logic of an industry that is becoming more automated is that low-grade work goes to developing countries while high-quality work continues to be done in the places that are best at retaining and cultivating talent.

Unionising the UK VFX workforce makes it more likely that UK facilities will be able to keep high-quality work. By working more sustainably, the UK workforce will not keep losing the best artists.

Strong unions can apply pressure to employers to train their employees, future proofing their careers – but only in the countries where the unions are strong. Let’s not make the UK one of the countries that are racing to the bottom, shall we?