U.K. crew union Bectu has staged a protest outside the London offices of some of the world’s biggest production companies and broadcasters, including Netflix, Amazon and Disney, over what they call a “broken turnaround.”
The union says that turnaround — a contractual 11-hour rest break between wrapping for the day and call-time the following day — is increasingly being disregarded as productions are squeezed into smaller shooting windows to cut down on costs. But the effect on crew has “hugely detrimental effects,” Bectu National Secretary Spencer Macdonald tells Variety, especially where crew are not compensated properly for the extra time they spend on the job.
On Tuesday, Bectu members embarked on a walk to protest the trend, beginning at Amazon’s headquarters in East London before paying a visit to BBC Studios, ITV, ITN, Disney, Netflix and Paramount. The walking convoy, primarily made up of members who had been impacted by broken turnaround, planned to visit 18 different offices to draw attention to the issue.
Bectu has also sent a letter addressed to producers body Pact urging them to find a solution to the issue. Variety understands a copy of the letter was also sent to studios.
“Where broken turnaround is routinely unpaid, or penalty payments remain minimal, the consequences are predictable: rising stress, worsening ill health, and declining productivity. Bectu has repeatedly challenged these practices and will continue to do so,” the letter reads.
“There are positive examples of what can be achieved. By working collaboratively with employers, the union has successfully negotiated agreements that limit excessive working hours in certain areas of the industry, such as construction. However, serious problems remain. A minimum working time of 13 hours for some departments in feature films, and the complete absence of any cap on working time in unscripted production, are plainly incompatible with healthy working lives and family commitments.”
In a survey of 500 of its members last year, Bectu found that broken turnaround is endemic in the industry, resulting in unhealthy and even dangerous consequences. One in four respondents admitted they had driven while tired and had either fallen asleep or nearly fallen asleep at the wheel. 72% said they found it difficult to fulfil commitments outside of work because of the intensity of their working hours.
“I have…fallen asleep driving on the M25 and woken up driving along the hard shoulder,” reads one anonymous testimonial included in the survey. “Broken turnaround is so dangerous, but production companies don’t get any penalties for breaking it.”
Bectu is being supported in its campaign by U.K. bodies including Directors U.K., Equity and the Writers Guild of Great Britain as well as international orgs such as UNI-MEI, IMAGO, Syndicat National des Techniciens et Travailleurs de la Production Cinématographique et de Télévision, Syndicat des Professionnels des Industries de l’Audiovisuel et du Cinéma CGT and F3C CFDT.
The Mark Milsome Foundation, launched in honour of cinematographer Mark Milsome, is also supporting BECTU’s efforts. Milsome tragically died on location in 2017 when a stunt went wrong on the production of “Black Earth Rising.”
Last year Bectu and U.K. producers body Pact made a rare joint statement pledging to eliminate broken turnaround altogether, inviting producers to a roundtable discussion regarding the issue. However, conversations have stalled, which has led to Bectu’s renewed attempts to draw attention to turnaround times.
“It’s no secret that many, many film and TV workers are regularly asked or feel they have little choice to work dangerously long hours without adequate rest breaks,” Macdonald told Variety. “Bectu has been clear that the industry must do more to enforce safe working hours and proper rest periods. While we had some positive early engagement and warm words, the commitment to action now seems to have dried up.
“That’s why we’re bringing film and TV workers together to take a stand and say: enough is enough. You shouldn’t have to forgo your wellbeing, your safety, and your personal life just to keep a job in this industry.”
Variety has contacted Amazon, BBC Studios, ITV, ITN, Disney, Netflix and Paramount for comment.
