BBC Radio 4’s Front Row invited MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl to update its audience on the collective agreement. Photo: Shutterstock.
Musicians working with Northern Ballet Sinfonia voted to accept a new collective agreement negotiated between the Musicians’ Union and Northern Ballet.
The new agreement brings collectively negotiated terms and conditions back in place for freelance musicians engaged by the company.
Following the announcement, BBC Radio 4’s Front Row invited MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl to update its audience on the collective agreement. The programme first covered the campaign in 2023.
In the interview, Naomi described the collective agreement as “an absolutely fantastic achievement.” She talked about the importance of a core players list, which is secured in the agreement, as “one of our red lines” to get MU members their jobs back.
Another red line for the Union was the use of live music in touring productions, which is covered in the contract. While Northern Ballet has retained a right to use recordings in specific circumstances, Naomi told Front Row listeners, “We hope that doesn't happen. We hope that they're able to maintain live.”
Read more about the Union’s campaign to keep Northern Ballet Sinfonia live.
Putting arts funding on the Government’s agenda
Responding to a question on arts funding, Naomi recognised the real challenges facing the orchestra, theatre, opera and ballet sectors.
“We know that public funding for the arts has stagnated, basically, for more than a decade and that has caused problems. There's also problems with local authority funding for some companies as well,” she explained.
The MU is lobbying Government for arts funding to protect orchestras under threat. It will be a key theme for the Union at this year’s Labour Party Conference in September, under the banner ‘Keep Music Live’.
Naomi also highlighted other examples where the Musicians’ Union has worked together with orchestra managers to make a joint case for funding – highlighting the problems, securing funding and keeping musicians in their posts.
Listen back to the episode via BBC Sounds.