Welcome to the Unscripted Craft Shop of Scottish Freelance Branch.
We’re the section of SBF focusing on the needs of the unique world of Scottish Unscripted Production. We have a close relationship with the London based Unscripted Branch to work together to improve things for all Unscripted workers.
When we talk about unscripted television we mean people working in genres such as: factual entertainment, entertainment, documentary, non-scripted comedy, news and current affairs, sports, children, reality, music and live and natural history.
Currently we have a number of Unscripted representation within SFB:
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Alex Harris-MacDuff (Production Management) – Co-Chair & Rep to RPD
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Claire Stephens-Lee (Production Management) – Co-Sec & Rep to RPD
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Nigel Honey (Post Production)
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Vito Milazzo (Post Production)
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Barbara Orton (Writers, Producers, & Directors)
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Sinead Kirwan (Writers, Producers, & Directors)
Shops. Branches. Divisions.
What is a Craft Shop?
A craft shop is a department specific working group that feeds into the regional freelance branch, in our case this is the Scottish Freelance Branch
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What is The Scottish Freelance Branch?
We are a regional branch of BECTU and we represent members in Scotland that work in film, tv and radio. Our branch sits within the Regional Production Division of BECTU
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What is The Regional Production Division?
Every BECTU branch sits within a division. There are five divisions, Regional Production, London Production, Arts and Entertainment, BBC and Independent Broadcast.
​Regional Production Division (RPD) is made up of regional branches such as Northern Ireland Freelance, South Wales Freelance, Northwest Freelance and Western Freelance.
​We work closely with London Production Division (LPD)
Rate Cards
Currently we’re working to the Unscripted Rate card of 2022
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We recently conducted a rate survey and are working with the Unscripted Branch to have a joint London & Scotland Unscripted Rate card. We will post this as soon as it’s ready.
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In regards to rate and negotiating, there are some points to consider at all times:
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Rates are for a FIVE day, 37.5 hour week.
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Legally, no rate should ever include holiday pay if you are PAYE or a Sole Trader (aka Schedule D). But, you should specify that your rate is “plus holiday” to make things clear in your negotiation.
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The exception: Those who operate as a Limited company; most add the equivalent of holiday pay into their rate (approximately 10-12%), but it cannot legally be called “holiday pay”.
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If you are PAYE or Sole Trader you should ‘opt in’ to your pension from DAY ONE of your contract. If you are unsure how do go about this please do get in touch with us on the email below.
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Don’t feel you have to give your rate when asked in an interview, but if you do, make sure you are prepared for the answer and are not caught off guard.
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When you negotiate a rate during a verbal conversation, it’s worth following up with an email outlining what you agreed, e.g. “Many thanks for your time, and to confirm, my rate is £XYZ for a five-day week, plus holiday.”
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The guide above will give you a fair idea of the minimum rate you should be achieving with your experience, but if you are being offered lower, don’t be afraid to politely push back and explain that it’s below the Bectu minimum recommended rate. If you are still struggling after that, if you are a member, you should contact the SFB Organising Official by calling the Bectu switchboard on 0141 370 1590
Ask First
Bectu’s “Ask First” system usually speeds up late payers, who hate to get a reputation for this. That’s why BECTU’s branches instructed the union to publish details of companies who haven’t met their obligation to our members.
If your payment is late, you can contact your Bectu rep or head office to ask for a “Monies Owed Form”. Bectu can then write to the employer, and if they still don’t pay, or fail to provide a legitimate reason, we will publish their details in Stage Screen and Radio, Bectu’s industry magazine for members.
We’re currently chasing for an updated online list, but if you have any questions in the meantime please get in touch on the email below.
If you have any ideas or would like to get in touch about any issues please hit the button below and drop us an email!