Negotiations with PACT
Equity is currently negotiating with Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) to revise and improve the collective agreements across film and TV. PACT is the UK screen sector trade body for independent production and distribution companies. We have separate agreements for members working on BBC, ITV, Streamers, Commercials, Welsh language TV, or other film - see our Rates and Agreements section for full details.
Our aim is to secure a new agreement with improved pay and working conditions.
The last agreement with PACT was reached in 2019, and a lot has happened in the sector and wider economy since then. We're demanding better for our members in film and TV, and we need your help to secure the best deal possible. Read on for our key demands and how you can get involved.
For the first time, we'll be balloting thousands of members on the deal. If you have worked on a PACT-covered tv or film job at some point over the last three years, you'll get a vote.
We are also renegotiating the side letter agreements with streaming platforms: Apple, Netflix, and Disney plus. New terms will be reflected in Equity contracts across film and television in the next few years.
Five key areas
We’ve seen huge appetite from Equity members to demand better in film and TV. Following unprecedented levels of engagement during our consultation with our members working in film and TV, you’ve told us that these are the five key issues that matter most to you in these negotiations:
We are negotiating to substantially increase minimum fees.
Equity member Rakie Ayola, a trustee for the Actors Children's Trust, says "pay in the industry has not gone up with inflation and the cost of living, and we're losing talent.
"Performers are living in a constant state of tension - because when you get that job that you worked really hard for, you should just be able to enjoy it and throw yourself into it. but you're thinking all the time that you're going to be so broke - will they have you back for shifts at the pub? There's millions of pounds in the industry. where does it go?"
We are negotiating to reform royalty and residual payments so that artists receive a fair share in an ever changing media landscape.
Equity member Hywel Morgan says "A lot of people rely on secondary payments to keep them going when they're not working.
"I once did a film that originally went out on the BBC, but has since been sold onto a global streamer. Hardly anybody saw it on the BBC, but now I get messages from people saying they've seen it on the streamer and I can see its' in the platforms top watches - yet I probably get about a tenner a year for it. Without us, you wouldn't be able to make these shows - we should be sharing in the success."
We are negotiating to regulate the use of generative artificial intelligence in production and fighting for clear protections for members.
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown rapidly across the entertainment industry in recent years, but UK law has failed to keep pace and this is leading to performers being exploited.
As a union, we are fighting to change that. See our Stop AI Stealing the Show campaign for more information.
We are negotiating to codify our self-tapes guidelines to establish fairer methods of casting.
Enyi Okoronkwo, member of Equity's Screen and New Media Committee says "Self-tapes can allow people to make auditions in a very London-centric industry, but they can also be more convenient for the casting director than for the performer.
"Equity's code of best practice for scripted drama includes a four-day minimum turnaround, bank holiday protection and a six-page maximum, but we still reply on the whim of good casting directors who put their neck out and tell productions 'we have to follow these rules'."
We are negotiating to tackle the misuse of special stipulations which are being used to undermine the collective agreement. Ensuring contracts have key terms for suitable hair and make-up provisions including for members of all ethnicities and cultures.
Equity member Olivia Williams says "Equity are negotiating with producers to enshrine ethical and enforceable rights in PACT-EQUITY contracts, so that we don't suddenly hear or see ourselves doing something we haven't done and were not paid for. Read your contract, and tell Equity if you don't like what you read - BEFORE you sign it."
Pay has not gone up with inflation and the cost of living
Rakie Ayola, Equity member
Demanding better together
Our power at the bargaining table comes from our collective strength. The only way we will win our demands in these negotiations is if you stand with your fellow Equity members in film and TV to demand better.
That's why we need to hear from you. We need Equity members to share their experiences and testimonials, particularly relating to our five priority areas (pay, secondary payments, AI, casting and fair contracts).
Getting a clear idea of the industrial landscape will help us shape our negotiating demands to match the aspirations of our members. All submissions will be treated anonymously.
Tell us your experience
Join our Film and TV Network Mailing list
We will consult our members every step of the way in these negotiations, by continuing to hold open meetings for members working across the sector.
Join our Film & TV Network to stay up to date on the latest developments of our negotiations.
This is a very feast and famine industry, and a lot of people rely on secondary payments
Hywel Morgan, Equity member
