Volunteers use at arts festivals 'immoral and unsafe', BECTU warns

Performing arts festivals in the UK are using volunteers in an “immoral and unsafe” way, according to creative industries union BECTU.

Ahead of large summer events including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the union has expressed its concern that some organisers are using volunteers in roles that should be occupied by trained and paid professionals.

In a statement, the union said that “any role critical to the delivery of the service should not be filled by volunteers".

Early last year, venue operators at the Edinburgh Fringe came under fire for their plans to continue to use unpaid volunteers, and were accused of "maintaining poverty".

In a new warning, BECTU’s negotiations officer Paul McManus said: “The UK festival industry needs to rethink its use of volunteers altogether.”

He continued: “No one should think they have to volunteer as a way to gain experience and/or entry into an industry. Trainee places should be paid and properly supervised and managed.”

BECTU expressed concern over two events in Scotland in particular: the Edinburgh Fringe and the Doune the Rabbit Hole music and arts festival in Stirling.

Last year, BECTU collaborated with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and the Volunteer Council for Edinburgh to publish new guidance on volunteering at the August event.

It said: “Volunteers have historically been used in large numbers by some fringe venues and operators, and BECTU believes that in many instances, volunteers are being used for work that should be paid.”

Doune the Rabbit Hole festival, meanwhile, has been at the centre of controversy after it emerged that organisers had reportedly been asking volunteers pay a deposit of up to £145, while tasking them with constructing the festival site and filling technical backstage roles.

The festival’s original operator went into liquidation last year and was taken over by Festival Beverage and Property Services. Performers, crew and suppliers are reportedly still owed hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid wages and fees.

McManus said: “We are very concerned about inexperienced volunteers being used on safety-critical areas at Doune the Rabbit Hole. This is on the back of widely publicised failures to pay monies owed to musicians, crew, and other workers from previous years.”

He continued: “We have regrettably had to advise our members to think carefully before committing to working at Doune the Rabbit Hole.”

An Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society spokesperson said: "The Fringe is an eclectic ecosystem featuring a wide variety of venue operating models, and it is important to recognise that both volunteer and staffed models have a part to play across the festival landscape."

The spokesperson said that the Fringe Society plans to review its guidance for engaging volunteers along with partners after this year’s festival.

They added: "We firmly believe that fair work needs to be a central pillar of the festival. Our advice to Fringe workers and volunteers is to have clear agreements in place with employers, to chat to our team or to unions with questions, and to make use of our reporting tool where you have concerns about fair work."

Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival has been approached for comment.