Consumer Champion Martin Lewis Rails Against “Piss Poor” Pay & Conditions In UK TV Industry – Edinburgh
deadline.comConsumer champion Martin Lewis has railed against “piss poor” pay and working conditions in the TV industry, which is paired with a “hangover attitude” that sees people told “it’s glamorous but you’re treated like s**t.” Lewis, who has a money show on ITV, was picking up the outstanding achievement award at the Edinburgh TV Festival following a lengthy career in which he has vehemently defended consumer rights and sought to help those struggling with money.
His activity during the pandemic and help for freelancers saw him lauded by multiple industries, including TV. Today, he railed against “piss poor” pay for freelancers, which “automatically puts people off.” Connecting his comments with MacTaggart lecturer James Graham’s call for greater working class representation in the TV industry, he said low pay “automatically has a class barrier that helps people from more affluent backgrounds come into it,” along with the trend for unpaid internships in order for people to get their feet in the door. “The terms and conditions are horrendous,” he said.
The issue in part stems from a “hangover attitude” that sees behind the camera workers told “it’s glamorous but you’re treated like s**t,” Lewis added, before saying: “That [attitude] has to go.” Lewis used several examples, pointing out that some production companies making shows over Christmas will fire their freelancers and then rehire them in January to avoid paying them at the end of December.
He also cited people at the BBC who are working “two grades above their pay grade” without a payrise because the pubcaster doesn’t have the money to promote them.
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