Another extension has been agreed between Pact and Bectu for the pair’s UK TV Drama Agreement, with the saga now looking set to rumble on for almost a year.
Broadcast union Bectu was to vote its members on 14 October through 23 October, with a result due today. But instead, the five-year agreement that has been extended twice already will be voted for in November and December. The negotiations between the two sides over the work agreement, which has been in place since 2017, broke down for the first time in February 2022.
According to John McVay (CEO of Pact), the Pact spokesperson and spokeswoman, this will give Pact an opportunity to create an agreement in its entirety to avoid any doubts and to provide sufficient detail.
The issue has already been balloted on, with Bectu’s members “overwhelmingly” rejecting Pact’s terms over the summer.
They have been at odds for years over issues such as work hours, prep and wrapping, and well-being.
Pact has been supported by large studios, streamers, and indies. Major producers such as Banijay, Bad Wolf and Element Pictures took the unprecedented step of writing to UK crew urging them to sign up to Pact’s agreement in September or risk “the whole of [UK] scripted TV being damaged,” and subsequently Pact invited commissioners to a “summit”To break the deadlock
Deadline understands streaming services had been considering pulling shows out of the UK if Bectu’s full demands were met due to what they would deem too sharp an increase in costs.