The Major Motion Picture Agreement (MMPA) between PACT and BECTU came into effect in April 2018. This agreement holds many benefits for our members, however since its implementation, many junior grades are now finding themselves significantly financially worse off as a result. Previously the trainees, assistants and runners were paid a customary £35 (non-camera) and £50 (camera) for their overtime. Under the new agreement, these thresholds have been stripped back reducing annual income for many. The long-term consequences threaten a reduction in the diversity of the industry, and a loss of skilled people coming into the industry. Talks between BECTU and PACT will reopen later this month and we hope to re-instate the overtime floor. By signing this petition, you are supporting BECTU and our junior grade members by demonstrating to PACT that this is a widely felt issue. Please sign and share with your colleagues of all departments and grades. For more information on the issue read the news story https://www.bectu.org.uk/news/2875 For the full Major Motion Picture Agreement visit https://www.bectu.org.uk/advice-resources/agreements/pact-major-motion-picture

Every worker should have the right to a contract that guarantees the hours they work and the conditions they need for a decent working life. Too often zero-hours contracts are being used to exploit workers. Hours are never guaranteed, making financial planning impossible and anxiety inevitable. Workers' on zero-hours contracts are denied sick and holiday pay. If something goes wrong, there is no safety net. And there needs to be action to reduce other forms of insecure work that makes workers' lives a misery. And zero-hours contracts are only one part of the problem of insecure work in the UK. From bogus self-employment to underpaying agency workers, TUC research shows that 1 in 9 workers – at least 3.8 million – are now trapped in some form of insecure work. If ministers are serious about building a country that works for everyone, they must act now to ensure every worker gets fair pay, decent rights and a voice at work.

Quality journalism is at the heart of a healthy democracy. It helps to keep people informed, combat fake news and holds those in power to account. Yet the local media industry is in crisis. Newsquest is the second largest owner of regional and local newspapers in the UK and the company dominates the media industry in Cumbria. Newsquest bought a series of newspaper titles in Cumbria earlier this year and since then the effect on local newsrooms has been detrimental and dramatic. The company has driven away experienced local journalists, whose professionalism, ethics and local standing has benefited the company - and the local community - enormously. Collectively, their departure represents a catastrophic loss of experience and knowledge. NUJ members working for the Carlisle News and Star, the Cumberland News, the Workington Times and Star and the Whitehaven News newspapers took strike action on Thursday 20 December and need your support in their continuing campaign. Please support the staff at Newsquest's Cumbrian papers and send a message to Managing Director Johnathan Lee.

Ministers across the government are fighting for their public sector workers. It’s time for the civil service to have its own champion. The Government has officially lifted the public sector 1% pay cap, yet FDA members have been left barely better off. In other areas, we have seen action and results. Ministers have fought for better departmental staff pay rises, and won. However, civil servants have been left behind with employers adopting civil service pay remit guidelines and awarding below-inflation 1.5% raises. Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill has described the civil service as “brilliant.” But what is this brilliance worth? Recent discoveries show that the SCS’s pay gap is widening. When can these employees expect fair and equal reward? Join our call, and ask David Lidington to speak up for hardworking civil servants.

Premium pay rates offer a small compensation for employees spending Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at work. Two years ago staff at TGI Friday’s restaurants across the U.K. were forced into signing contracts that took away their right to be paid time-and-a-half for working over the Christmas and New Year period. While many people spend this time at home with family and friends, workers at restaurants like TGI Friday's have to work. Workers were told there was no option but to sign the updated contract and that they would not be allowed to work again until they had. Some reported being told to sign the new contract halfway through a busy shift without being informed what it was they were signing away. TGI Friday's workers are often made to survive on minimum wage. Compensation for the time spent away from our family and friends over the festive season is the least a big profitable company like TGI Friday's can do.