Many members who work through their own limited companies have run up against an issue with furloughing themselves for the PAYE portion of their income, because their accountants have set up an annual scheme rather than a monthly one.

HMRC have clarified their advice to say that these people can furlough themselves as long as their accountant submitted an RTI before 19th March 2020 for income in the 19-20 tax year.

Members who do qualify should speak to their accountant, as it appears it may be necessary to call in to HMRC & over-ride the system manually. We’ll share more information about that when we have it.

The HMRC info is here (scroll down to to the heading ‘Company directors with an annual pay period’): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

The relevant text says:

Those paid annually are eligible to claim, as long as they meet the relevant conditions. This includes being notified to HMRC on an RTI submission on or before 19 March 2020, which relates to a payment of earnings in the 19/20 tax year. The requirement for there to be payment of earnings in the 19/20 tax year applies for any employee being claimed for under the scheme, irrespective of how frequently they are paid (e.g. weekly, fortnightly or monthly). This will be relevant for those on an annual pay period if the last payment notified to RTI was before 5 April 2019 and no further payments were notified until after 19 March 2020.

An employer can make their claim in anticipation of an imminent payroll run, at the point they run their payroll or after they have run their payroll.

This is the meeting where we elect the reps who help to run the Branch and make decisions on policy when it’s not possible to consult the entire membership. The branch is a democracy & it’s important that the committee genuinely represents the membership – so please turn up & vote!

Engagement from members has increased substantially since the lockdown, which is great to see – and we’d like to encourage people to get more involved with representing the interests of the camera department within the union, by standing for election to the committee.

You don’t need any special skills or experience – just the desire to make things better for everyone in the department, and an attitude that says, if there’s a job to be done, it might as well be done by me!

The committee ‘posts’ that will be elected at the meeting are listed below – if you have any questions about them please contact info@camerabranch.org.uk. The branch usually holds four committee meetings & four general meetings per year, although naturally the current situation has meant a few more meetings than usual. The committee are all busy working crew-members who volunteer their own time, so don’t let the idea that you’ll be too busy to come to all the meetings put you off – it’s rare for the whole committee to be able to attend any meeting. It’s possible to share a post with a deputy to increase the chance that one of you will be able to make it.

Posts labelled * are currently vacant, or expected to fall vacant at the AGM – but all posts are up for election, you’re not limited to standing for one that’s empty.

Chair
Vice Chair
Secretary*
Vice Secretary
Branch Treasurer*

Officers:

Branch Membership (and Recruitment) Officer
Branch Equality, Inclusion & Diversity Officer
Branch Communications Officer (website, social media) *
Branch Climate and Sustainability Officer
Branch Health & Safety Officer*

Branch Training & Standards Representative*
London Production Division Representative*
Young Member’s (under 35) Divisional Sub-Committee Representative

Sector Rapporteurs:

Branch Advertising Representative
Branch Entertainment Representative*
Branch Factual Representative
Branch Film Representative*
Branch Low-Budget Representative
Branch Outside Broadcast Representative
Branch TV Drama Representative

Grade Rapporteurs:

Cinematographers Representative
Camera Operators Representative
DITs Representative
Focus Representative
Loaders Representative
Playback Representative
Script Supervisors Representative
Stills Representative
Trainees Representative

Hope to see you there!

This is from Paul Evans, the BECTU official who looks after all the London Production Division craft branches:

Hi all,

Here’s the briefing that has gone to MP’s, the BFI, the BFC and CIF to help us with our continued lobbying efforts.

Tom Railton, (Bectu/Prospect’s political officer) has been heavily involved with this work. In addition to this, Spencer MacDonald has been talking to the British Film Council and the Head of Bectu Philippa Childs has been involved in discussions with the Creative Industries Federation and the BFI Covid-19 task force.

Yesterday, Philippa took part in another call with the Creative Industries Federation and a couple of Treasury officials. Later this afternoon she has a further call with the BFI Task Force that will involve DCMS officials and Mike Clancy (Prospect General Secretary) also has a call involving different Sectors with BEIS.

We are also inputting data from our surveys to all of these bodies and others to help with getting the message across that more must be done to help freelancers working in the Sector. As you will know, progress appears to be slow but I think we’re possibly expecting more on the SEISS over the next few days, in line with the proposals we’re suggesting in the attached paper.

However even good progress will only potentially solve *some* of the many issues our members are experiencing so we must keep up the pressure.

A reminder too that the Film and TV Charity/BFI Emergency Support Fund (supported by Netflix, the BBC and others) is now open for applications but only between 8-22 April and that the Charity is also offering repayable grants of up to £2k grants for freelancers and that scheme opens on 15 April.

Again, we couldn’t do any of this without the really dedicated feedback loops along with the ideas that have come from our reps and members. Philippa has asked me to pass on her thanks to everyone who is helping us to make this case as loudly as we can…

Once again, the briefing document is here.

From BECTU:

The coronavirus crisis has highlighted just how exposed and precarious the working lives of people who work in the arts, theatre, live events, film, broadcasting and TV have become.

It is time for workers across these industries to come together and work on ‘A New Deal’ – to be clear that many of us will only be able to stay in our industries if the employers are prepared to make it more sustainable for us to do so.

This means:

• greater security
• fairer hours, rates, working terms and conditions
• dignity at work – a change in management style so that workers are able to work in environments where they are respected and valued for the work that they contribute.

Bectu will campaign across the creative industries for A ‘New Deal’ for freelancers and precarious workers – a change to the industry where employment relationships are no longer as one-sided, and where these workers can expect reasonable protections from the hazards of precarious working.

Over the coming weeks, we will be consulting our members, both directly, and through their branches. We will be doing online consultations as well as online branch meetings that will allow members to participate directly.

Ultimately, if the workers in our industries can agree what they are asking for, and stick together to insist that employers take our demands seriously, we can change our industries – permanently – for the better.

Our ability to bring about radical change is dependent upon how effectively our union can help people to stick together, and we are urging everyone in the industry to get involved now.

Take part in our ThoughtExchange on the changes that are needed as part of this ‘New Deal’: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/#199571178/hub

BECTU made a submission to the Treasury on Monday 30th March to make clear the ways in which Film & TV freelancers are falling through the cracks of the government’s coronavirus-related support schemes, and to suggest changes that would help.

Please note – also from BECTU: “since this letter our ‘ask’ on PAYEs has definitely developed a lot, and we’re into a lot more detail about how we help the Treasury solve the problem (the Treasury actually want to give workers the money, we think. They just can’t think of a fair/un-fraudulent way of doing so and we’re giving them all of our ideas on this….”

You can read the submission here.

This letter went out today from BECTU to the 100s of production company contacts provided by members on Sunday. Well done team ✊ #AllForOneAndOneForAll

The rate card meeting will still take place on the first of April, but it will be online using the Zoom system. We have pulled it forward – 1:45pm to join, starting at 2pm.

We will discuss new drafts of the rates cards. There will also be a Q&A with BECTU’s research officer on options for support during the lock down.

This one is members only and registration is required as the system only allows 100 attendees. Please submit your questions in advance and we will endeavour to get the answers for you, and then follow up with more discussion.

We’re very aware that members will have lost significant amounts of work over the last week or so due to the Coronavirus situation, and want to know what the union is doing on their behalf. We’re sharing this update from Paul Evans, the BECTU official who looks after the London Production Division, of which Camera Branch is the biggest branch:

“We’re lobbying on a number of fronts:

1) To make sure that people who aren’t on PAYE can access the same package that people who are on PAYE are able to get (so this means calling for people to be able to treat what they have drawn down either as salary or dividends from their Personal Service Company as an indication of the income that they have received.

2) To also put the question of kit-hire on the agenda – the argument that people who are freelancers are not only losing *income* – they’re also losing revenue of capital items that they would expect to resell to employers (i.e. kit, vehicles, software, insurances as well as other standing expenditure that they can’t just suspend during this crisis.

3) The ‘(re)entry level’ problem – for plenty of reasons, members may not have earned money last year (they are entering the industry / were taking career breaks as a result of childcare or illness etc

Every day, the focus of our campaigning is changing, but we have a professional team that includes a Parliamentary Officer with good connections among MPs of all parties, a press team and a good research team. We’re also providing regular update via the website and twitter – you may have seen today’s news story?”

In addition branch reps are pushing hard to make sure BECTU also demands help for those members who organise their work lives as freelancers but are taxed as PAYE employees. Lots of PAYE crew had quiet winters & weren’t working on 1st March, and  had good expectations of work starting soon which has now gone away. Some of these crew members will be amongst the lowest-paid grades. We don’t think it’s fair that they should miss out on any help the self-employed might get, and they must not be allowed to fall through the cracks.

Our Coronavirus Advice page is regularly updated and we’re also putting out news though the branch Twitter & Instagram pages – if you use those platforms please help by re-tweeting & sharing to your Stories.

We’re also urging you to write to your MP asking for a better deal for freelancers – use this link, it’s super-easy & takes 3 minutes: https://bectu.org.uk/self-employed-workers-need-protection-too-email-your-mp-now/

Thanks for reading – stay safe & keep in touch. Your committee & officials are here to help.

COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES

● Camera Branch condensed safety info: 10+10 – what to ASK & what to DO

● Camera Branch anonymous COVID-19 Safety Reporting Form
Open to both members & non-members to report concerns about health & safety with regard to Covid-19. The branch will be monitoring this closely – however any member who has immediate concerns or needs to talk to an official should contact BECTU directly on covid19@bectu.org.uk or call 020 7346 0900 during office hours.

● BECTU Guidelines for Features & TV Drama

● BECTU Guidelines for Factual, Entertainment and Outside Broadcast

● BECTU OB Network COVID guidance

● British Film Commission Film and High-end TV Drama guidance

● APA Guidelines for Commercials

● Government guidance for reporting of coronavirus incidents in the workplace. Under RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013), your employer is obliged to report a ‘dangerous occurrence’ if an unintended incident at work has led to someone’s possible or actual exposure to coronavirus, and must also report any actual cases or deaths that happen as a result.

● Joint Statement from Camera Branch, the BSC, the ACO, & the GBCT, 12th May 2020.

● Letter from Spencer MacDonald, the National Secretary of BECTU, outlining the union’s approach to Covid-19 safety, 4th May 2020.

TRAINING

● Screenskills Coronavirus Basic Awareness training – free on-line learning module, takes approximately 1 hour to complete.

● Screenskills Safe Return to Set seminars (the next one is ‘Legal Considerations For Film And HETV Post-Lockdown‘ on 6th August

GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT:

• FAQ – SELF-EMPLOYED INCOME SUPPORT SCHEME
• Note – HMRC now have an on-line eligibility checker for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme here.
• FAQ – CORONAVIRUS JOB RETENTION SCHEME  (‘furlough’ for PAYE workers)
• News for Directors of Ltd Companies 5th March 2020
• BECTU’s main COVID-19 page
• NEWS: what BECTU is doing for freelancers
• Template letter for PAYE workers asking to be put on furlough (updated 06/04/20)
• BECTU’s submission to the Treasury 30/03/20
• Letter to 100s of film & TV production companies, 31/03/20

LINKS FROM ELSEWHERE:

• The Chair of the Treasury Select Committee wrote to the Chancellor on 8th April, highlighting the way so many of us are falling through the gaps. This tell us that BECTU’s lobbying is working – their response is here.
• TV Watercooler ‘Coronavirus Hall of Fame’ – a list of those TV production companies who have done the right thing and furloughed their PAYE freelancers. If you worked PAYE for one of these companies in Feb, get in touch with them now!
• Screenskills: Free Remote Training during lockdown
• Announcing the COVID-19 Hardship Fund for freelancers | The Rory Peck Trust
• Joint statement from the Federation of Entertainment Unions (Bectu, Equity, the Musicians’ Union, NUJ & the Writers’ Guild).
• COVID-19: Answering questions from the screen sectors | BFI
• Universal Credit
• Government advice about Coronavirus
• Lastly this made us feel a bit better about the future 🙂