'It's more than who you know' ? networks and trade unions in the audio-visual industries

Abstract

Many commentators have argued that a shift towards post‐industrial modes of production and employment has progressively undermined the conditions for collective labour organisation and regulation. The capacity of trade unions to respond to these changes and represent the interests of contingent workers has become a key issue in many industries in which employment has become increasingly fragmented. This article examines patterns of interest representation pursued by freelance workers in the UK audio‐visual sector. In particular, it examines three critical cases to explore the potential of networks of freelance workers for representing their interests and to consider the implications for trade unions as traditional collective actors. We conclude that networks can provide forums through which interests can be articulated, but their limitations in representing freelance workers offer trade unions a crucial opportunity to extend collective regulation.

Social Capital and Union Revitalization: A Study of Worker Networks in the UK Audio‐Visual Industries

“…The initial analysis of data from the project (see Antcliff et al 2007;Saundry et al 2006Saundry et al , 2007 focused on phases 1 and 2 of the project. For this article, data from each phase of the research were examined to explore the previously unconsidered extent to which network bonds are conducive to trade union identity, and to identify the mechanisms through which trade unions can harness social capital to achieve concrete industrial relations outcomes.…”

“…The significant shift from permanent to freelance employment (discussed above) saw large groups of workers removed from the remit of collective labour regulation (Saundry 2001). The significant shift from permanent to freelance employment (discussed above) saw large groups of workers removed from the remit of collective labour regulation (Saundry 2001).…”

“…At the same time, they have arguably placed a greater emphasis on bridging social capital, as workers have been forced to turn to networks and intermediaries to find employment and further their careers. However, industry unions have also sharpened their focus on the specific concerns and needs of freelance workers (Saundry 2001;Spence 1999). It has been suggested that 'freelances arguably have more need of union support than do permanently employed workers' (Spence 1999: 5), and that networks in the television industry have acted as 'bulwarks against the individualisation of casual employment' (McKinlay and Quinn 1999: 13).…”

“…This was particularly acute in low budget factual genres where it was commonplace for young workers to work for no pay in return for 'work experience' (Saundry 2001). This was particularly acute in low budget factual genres where it was commonplace for young workers to work for no pay in return for 'work experience' (Saundry 2001).…”

Internships, Workfare, and the Cultural Industries: A British Perspective

“…1 When the influential Television Workers' Rights Advocacy Petition (TVWRAP) campaign took shape in the early 2000s and sought to challenge the harsh and exploitative working conditions for young entrants to the television sector in the UK (Saundry et al 2006(Saundry et al , 2007, unpaid "work experience," which often extended over months and even years, was identified as one of the key obstacles to a more equitable creative labour market. TVWRAP actively campaigned against the exploitation and bullying of junior television workers, making use of anonymous testimonies to expose a widespread culture of abuse of workers in the sector.…”