13 May 2010
BECTU is working with Co-operatives UK to examine whether a co-operative model could provide a solution to the exploitation which some union members reliant on agencies for work are experiencing.
To help people to understand what co-operatives do, Co-operatives UK has produced some guidance.
Read the FAQs put together by Co-operatives UK
BECTU's work with the experts on co-operatives is part-funded by the Union Modernisation Fund. In its latest round of projects the UMF invited unions to submit bids centred on helping the most vulnerable sections of the workforce.
The union's two year study into the suitability of the co-operative model as an alternative to the traditional agency will involve extensive research, the development of a set of resources and the piloting of a co-operative agency. The union will also consult with employers as part of the exercise.
The project - now dubbed Co-operative Cast and Crew - was borne out of a long battle with the recent Labour government in which BECTU, working with Equity, asserted the rights of freelances faced with rogue agencies.
Some agencies are notorious for charging up front fees for registration and failing to deliver any employment. Some diary services also charge monthly fees but deliver little by way of return.
The UMF-funded project, which got underway in January this year, has already consulted the union's freelance members on their current use and views of agencies and their record in delivering work. BECTU will continue this dialogue at key stages of the project.
Contact national official, Spencer MacDonald, for more information.
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