EXCLUSIVE: Ken Loach has said Britain’s largest film and television union is at risk of losing vulnerable industrial workers as years of tensions at the labor rights group have reached their peak.
The renowned socialist filmmaker said Prospect, which merged with Bectu in 2017, did not act in the interests of members after four women resigned from the union’s top committee in protest at management.
The Kes And The wind that shakes the barley The director said there was a “clash of cultures” in the union after the merger, which he says “damaged” Bectu’s identity.
Loach, a 60-year member of Bectu and its previous incarnations, did not support the merger, articulating the concerns of others who had doubts about the merger.
Tensions spilled over earlier this month when three Bectu members resigned from Prospect’s National Executive Committee (NEC), a group that oversees the union’s work. It followed the resignation of a fourth Bectu member last October.
Sources familiar with the NEC resignations said there have been disputes over budgets, access to information and disciplinary action against Bectu members found guilty of violating union rules. Sources said the women were portrayed as “troublemakers” as they tried to hold Prospect decision-makers accountable, including Secretary General Mike Clancy.
Prospect said that Bectu members voted in favor of the merger by a large majority in 2016 and that under their leadership the union has thrived, with membership growing by more than a third to 37,000. Prospect added that it has reduced Bectu’s financial insecurity and invested in the union, making it the “largest and most influential company of all time in its proud history.”
Schmerle: Bectu members should call the shots
Loach told Deadline that Prospect appeared more focused on growing membership than on protecting film and television workers from potential exploitation.
“Our idea of a union is one where the members call the shots,” he said. “Interested officials seem more interested in control than in working with members and actually fulfilling members’ wishes. Officials are more concerned about telling us what to do than listening to what we say.”
Loach added: “People in the industry are very vulnerable. There are many young people who are keen to gain experience and this makes them vulnerable to exploitation. People join Bectu because they see the need for a union, especially younger members. We need a clear voice so all members can be sure it’s their union.”
Loach, winner of the Palme d’Or for I, Daniel Blakesaid he had first-hand experience of the dividing lines between Prospect and Bectu.
Sources said he made a personal complaint in 2021 after a Prospect official tweeted that he was anti-Semitic following his expulsion from Labor. Loach was a supporter of former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was criticized for failing to address anti-Jewish sentiment in the political party.
Loach argued that the prospect officer’s tweet was defamatory. The officer later apologized and said his remark was “inappropriate and without reason”. Clancy, Prospect’s general secretary, said at the time it was “not Prospect’s way” for officers to attack the union’s own members.
Film set in Stockport
BAFTA winner Loach said the four women who quit the NEC “have long tried to make it work” but ultimately found it “difficult”. Deadline knows the identities of those who quit, but all four declined to comment and asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. They remain Bectu members.
Sources said there are cultural differences at the NEC. Those leaving work in the creative industries, while other members of the NEC come from sectors such as nuclear power, defense and the Forest Service.
“They don’t know anything about creatives,” said a source. This person admitted that members of the film and television industry are a “vigorous bunch” known for applying journalistic rigor to internal debates, but said it was unfair to suggest they were “stubborn”.
Bectu is the largest sector within Prospect, but there is a risk that it could be underrepresented in the NEC following the resignations. There is no guarantee that the women will be replaced by Bectu members. Only two of NEC’s 30 employees currently come from the creative industries.
Internal dissatisfaction was also reflected in proposals for the upcoming Bectu conference in May, according to a document seen by Deadline.
Members of the Writers, Producers & Directors Branch called for a “comprehensive review” of Bectu and Prospect’s relationship. Another suggestion, later withdrawn, said that Bectu should prepare a report on Prospect’s “splitting” as it “is unwilling to fully engage with Bectu Sector members and their proxies.”
Outlook: We are proud of Bectu
A source close to Prospect admitted that things had not gone entirely smoothly since the merger, but they said internal disagreements among unions were not uncommon and that there would be many positive outcomes from the partnership.
Prospect Secretary Mike Clancy at a strike at the Science Museum in 2019
Clancy and Philippa Childs, the boss of Bectu, are said to have a good working relationship. Clancy’s decision to keep the Bectu brand alive was welcomed by many. Childs was praised for his campaign against the privatization of Channel 4, promoting the rights of freelancers and tackling bullying and harassment in film and television.
A spokesman for Prospect said: “Prospect’s Bectu sector is one of the fastest growing parts of the union movement, with a new generation of freelancers and self-employed people taking part in shaping the future of the industry.
“We are proud of Bectu’s growth, profile and influence in the creative industries and of the leadership role we have played in, for example, protecting public broadcasting, opposing arts cuts and advocating for both freelance and staff Workers have been playing post-pandemic.
“Bectu members voted by a large majority to become part of Prospect, which took place in 2017. Since then we have grown and invested in Bectu as a key part of Prospect and it is now the largest and most influential yet in its proud history.
“Being part of Prospect has stabilized the financial pressures Bectu has been facing, ensuring that both its leadership and member support have been expanded since 2017.”