From thestage.co.uk

Guidance on how the National Minimum Wage should be applied by companies operating in the entertainment sector is to be drawn up by the government, as part of an effort to protect actors’ rights.

A recommendation outlined in the Low Pay Commission’s 2010 report has called on the government to produce “sector specific guidance” on minimum wage in the entertainment sector.

In the report, the LPC said it had heard from actors complaining that roles in TV and films are advertised as unpaid “when they were clearly work”.

The LPC also reported that it had met with actors working for agencies which had deducted fees from a day’s pay, resulting in less than the minimum wage, and warned that some actors were too afraid to speak out for fear it will cost them future work.

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