Channel 4 Bonuses Are “Slap In The Face” For Fired Staffers & Ailing Freelance Workforce, Bectu Says
deadline.com“A slap in the face” was the verdict of broadcasting union Bectu to Channel 4 bosses’ decision to accept bonuses this year amidst a 250-staff layoff program.
Deadline revealed yesterday that the network’s CEO Alex Mahon, content boss Ian Katz and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan would be taking their bonuses in 2024, although at reduced rates.
Responding, Bectu Head Philippa Childs pointed to the optics of the bonuses being taken at a time when freelance community morale is at an all-time low.
Channel 4’s Remuneration Committee would have rubberstamped the bonuses around the time the broadcaster began implementing a 250-staff layoff program, which is seeing commissioning teams shrunk back amidst tricky economic headwinds and a slowdown in commissioning. “Hot on the heels of recent announcements of mass redundancies at the broadcaster, this will come as a slap in the face to both those at risk of redundancy and the many freelancers currently out of work,” said Childs. “Bectu recently laid bare the extent of the work drought in film and TV, and the significant knock-on effect on workers’ financial and mental wellbeing.
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