How to Talk to Creative and Freelance Workers on a Trade Union Patrol

You may have heard about a trade union patrol where you are. A trade union patrol is an important organising exercise, regularly run by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) nationally and regionally to learn more about the challenges facing people at work in a particular town or city.

A patrol is an opportunity to inform people about their rights at work, break some of the taboos around talking about pay and conditions, and introduce more people to the trade union movement.

However, it’s essential to make sure that all trade union patrols are inclusive of creative and cultural workers. To do that, it’s important to consider the following points at the planning stage:

• Include arts and culture workplaces when planning a patrol
• Adapt questions for freelancers who may work across multiple workplaces in the area
• Ensure the times of patrols are inclusive of arts and culture workplaces wherever possible
• Invite arts and culture trade union members to be part of the patrol
• Brief participants on the different arts and culture unions and unions that represent freelance workers
• Ensure leaflets and takeaways are inclusive of arts and culture unions and freelance workers.

Remember, the information you collect is data. It’s important to have an easy to explain reason for collecting it, to know what will happen to it, and to understand your obligations under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This should be part of the briefing from patrol organisers and always ask if you’re not sure.

Common questions for trade union patrols

The following list is adapted from questions provided by LO-Norway as part of their 2025 Summer Patrol.

About the workplace

• What is the name of the company/organisation?
• Which sector(s) does it work in?
• What is its address?
• Which trade union are people working here a part of/would they be a part of?

About individual workers

• How old are you?
• How many hours do you work per week on average?
• How much do you earn?
• Do you receive holiday pay? If so, how much/what percentage?
• Do you have a collective bargaining agreement at your workplace?
• How far in advance do you get your rota/working hours?
• Do you work any overtime? If so, do you get overtime pay and how much/what percentage?
• Is this a good environment to work in? Do you enjoy working here?
• Is there video surveillance in your workplace? Do you ever feel like your employer is using it to watch over the staff?
• Are you a member of a trade union? If not, would you be interested in joining one?

Adapting questions for freelance workers

Freelancers often hold multiple roles at the same time - especially musicians and creative workers with portfolio careers.

It’s important to be clear about what you’re asking when talking about pay and conditions. For example, are questions specific to that workplace engagement, or specific to all their music/freelance work in the area covered?

Questions should also be asked in a way that is mindful of how freelancers are paid across and within sectors – recognising that unpaid fees are a common challenge for creative workers in particular. For example:

• When asking about workplaces, ask: “Were you hired directly or by a third party?”
• When asking people about their working hours, ask: “Do you work in other places as well? Can you give examples?”
• When asking about working hours with freelance workers, add: “Or are you engaged for a specific gig, event, production or project?”

If you are going on a trade union patrol where you are and would like to learn more about including freelance workers, please contact campaigns@theMU.org.