Hesmondhalgh, DJ and Percival, N (2014) Unpaid work in the UK television and film industries: resistance and changing attitudes. European Journal of Communication, 29 (2). 188 - 203. ISSN 0267-3231
Abstract
This article concerns resistance to unpaid work in the television and film industries. It outlines one notable and successful campaign against unpaid labour which was conducted in the UK television industry and discusses how a similar campaign in the film industry met much greater opposition. It then reports on a survey that was conducted in order to investigate the seeming differences in attitudes in the two industries observed during these campaigns. While confirming that workers in the film industry are more prepared to accept unpaid labour than television workers, the survey also revealed a more striking characteristic: those who have worked in either industry view unpaid labour considerably less favourably than relative newcomers. The article discusses possible reasons for this, such as self-interest and altruistic attitudes toward younger workers; it also explores some implications for future working conditions, and for the role of activism and solidarity in resisting the worst aspects of existing labour relations in the cultural industries.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2014, SAGE Publications. This is an author produced version of a paper published in the European Journal of Communication. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | film; freelance; television; unpaid labour |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Media & Communication (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 29 Oct 2014 12:00 |
Last Modified: | 29 Oct 2014 12:00 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0267323113516726 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0267323113516726 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:80976 |