The new agreement aims to help deliver a thriving creative sector in the West Midlands, underpinned by fair pay and working conditions. Image credit: Shutterstock.
The MU has worked alongside fellow creative unions TUC Midlands Equity, Bectu and Writers’ Guild to create a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The landmark agreement will seek to build on the region’s cultural and creative strengths, including its young and diverse workforce and secure new jobs, fairer pay, and long-term career opportunities for local people.
Creative workers employed through the combined authority will now receive union rates
The role of the MoU is to ensure that any grant funding awarded by the WMCA carries with it a commitment to incorporate trade union rates and other terms and conditions, and work with trade unions to devise artist contracts.
The West Midlands has also been identified as a ‘priority region’ for the creative industries with the promise of a share of £60 million to add to the existing Commonwealth Legacy funding for cultural projects.
The agreement establishes a benchmark for standard-setting in the use of trade union rates and terms for creative workers engaged through devolved government funding, which we hope to see replicated across the UK.
Our goal is a sustainable, thriving creative sector
Stephen Brown, Musician’s Union Midlands Regional Secretary, said: “As unions collectively, we are delighted to have been working with the Combined Authority and Mayor’s Office to agree this MoU for the engagement of creative sector workers in our region.
“The great thing about it is that it not only means public bodies recognising union rates, it sets a wider landscape and benchmark in the West Midlands for the treatment, terms and conditions, and fees for creative sector workers who are predominantly self-employed. It also means there’s a focus on local employment, and it considers equality, diversity and inclusion, as a key component for any projects commissioned through or by the Combined Authority.
“Our goal is a sustainable, thriving creative sector providing good jobs in this region and this MoU will be a key factor in helping to achieve this by excellent utilisation under the terms of the MoU of the Commonwealth Games Legacy money.”
From left to right: MU Midlands Regional Organiser Stephen Brown, Bectu Assistant Secretary Caroline Hemmington, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, Equity Midlands Regional Official Ian Manborde, Midlands TUC Policy & Campaigns Officer Rob Johnston.
The creative industries are a cornerstone of regional economic growth
This agreement has grown out of earlier partnership work between unions and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 and Coventry’s City of Culture and supports the Combined Authority’s identification of the creative industries as a cornerstone of regional economic growth.
Rob Johnston, TUC Midlands Policy and Campaigns Officer, said: “This is a truly landmark agreement. Creative workers employed through the combined authority will now receive union rates. Moreover, it sends a signal to the wider industry around the pay and conditions that are expected in our region.
“With a focus on local employment and inclusion, this agreement will help deliver a thriving creative sector, underpinned with good jobs, here in the West Midlands.”