BECTU Sky

About BECTU

BECTU was the independent union for those working in broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment, leisure, interactive media and allied areas who are primarily based in the United Kingdom. The union represents permanently employed, contract and freelance workers within these sectors.

BECTU (Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union) offers a wide range of services to its more than 25,000 members, including:

Negotiating pay, conditions, safety and contracts with employers.
Services and benefits for individual BECTU members.
Personal advice and representation of individual members with employers.
Publishing Stage Screen and Radio magazine ten times a year.

Membership is voluntary, and anyone working or seeking employment in the sectors covered by BECTU can apply for membership.

The union is financed entirely by individual subscriptions from members.

BECTU's Head Office is situated South West London, and is supported by a number of regional offices.

BECTU is a democratic organisation run by delegates elected amongst its membership.

Members are grouped into Branches, which send representatives to an annual policy-making Conference. Branches themselves are grouped into six Divisions.

The National Executive Committee (NEC), consisting of members elected by secret ballot every two years, has on-going responsibility for the running of the union. The union's Rule Book provides full details of BECTU's structure.

BECTU's affiliations include:

Trades Union Congress
The TUC is the internationally recognised centre for UK unions.
UNI
Union Network International (UNI) has more than 900 affiliated unions around the world.
General Federation of Trade Unions
The GFTU is the UK federation for specialist unions.
Federation of Entertainment Unions
The FEU grouping consists of five UK unions:
- BECTU
- Equity (representing actors)
- British Insurance and Investment Brokers' Association
- Personal injury
- Musicians Union
- NUJ (National Union of Journalists)
- Professional Footballers Association
- Writers Guild of Great Britain
Labour Party
The political party which formed the current UK government.

BECTU was founded in 1991 after a series of mergers between separate unions during the 1980s, the history of which can be traced back to 1890.