Bectu, the union for the creative industries, has launched pay rate guidance for art technicians working in the UK that will help the union establish recommended rates of pay and help address low pay and pay discrepancies across the sector. 

 

Pay within the UK art technician sector is not yet standardised so workers have traditionally been offered very low rates. Many also experience pay discrepancies according to venue, location of work or other factors and frequently work overtime with no compensation.

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This pay rates guidance is designed to help art technicians to negotiate fair rates for work.

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These are recommended professional rates agreed upon by members of Bectu’s Art Technicians Branch based on research conducted with 200+ people working in the sector. These rates are not agreed with any venues or employers. It is the individual's responsibility to negotiate their rate of pay with an employer. Advice on how to do this can be found on our Resources page.

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We are asking our members to pledge to not work below the Minimum Professional Rates listed below to ensure we can establish this as the minimum professional rates for the art technical industry. Pledge cards will be sent to members imminently.

 

They reflect a 'day rate' of 8 hours maximum as well as minimum food and rest breaks of 15 minutes morning and afternoon and 30 minutes lunch. 

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There are three categories of rates quoted here:

1) The Minimum Professional Rate is the rate we expect employers to be paying as a MINIMUM - this is not what employers should have as their rate necessarily but what workers will not work below.

 

We would advise members that the acceptance of any offers of work below the “Minimum Professional Rate” will undermine your professional standing - this should be the minimum professional rate for this kind of work. 

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2) The “Going Rate” is the daily rate workers would generally expect to work for. 

 

3) The "Ideal Rate" is the daily rate that we aspire to. Workers should ask for this rate in negotiations as we know some people are achieving it already. This is an aspirational rate that we would hope to work towards for all art technicians.