Manchester Village Pride Signs Landmark Union Agreement Guaranteeing Pay and Workplace Protections for Performers

Manchester Village Pride has signed a "groundbreaking" agreement, the union says

Manchester Village Pride, the newly established not-for-profit community interest company formed to succeed the collapsed Manchester Pride organisation, has concluded a formal collective agreement with Equity, the UK's performing arts trade union. The agreement, which was ratified unanimously by Equity members, establishes binding protections covering pay, health and safety standards, and dignity at work for drag and burlesque performers appearing at the festival.

The agreement's principal provisions include a mandatory minimum deposit of 20 percent of the agreed performance fee at the point of contract, settlement of all outstanding payments within 30 days, and an explicit prohibition on requesting performers to work without remuneration. The deal also incorporates a comprehensive health and safety framework and a formal dignity at work policy, affording performers clear institutional recourse against bullying or harassment encountered in the course of their professional engagements.

The agreement's significance is inseparable from the circumstances that necessitated it. In October of last year, the previous Manchester Pride organisation entered liquidation with outstanding liabilities of £1.3 million owed to artists, venues, and suppliers. Dozens of performers were left without payment, with individual losses running to thousands of pounds in some cases. The institution's sudden collapse cast considerable uncertainty over the future of the event and prompted broader concern within the sector about the absence of enforceable contractual standards for performers at LGBTQ+ festivals.

Karen Lockney, Equity's North West official, described the agreement as a critical step toward rebuilding the trust of performers following the liquidation of the previous organiser. She noted that the collaborative work undertaken by the MVP board of directors and union members to bring the agreement into existence represents the first of its kind in the Pride sector, and expressed the view that it sets a standard other Pride events across the country should follow. Lockney articulated the underlying principle plainly: a celebration of LGBTQ+ rights must be grounded in a genuine commitment to workers' rights, and this agreement gives that commitment enforceable form.

Manchester Village Pride was announced in January as the successor organisation responsible for delivering the four-day annual event. Carl Austin-Behan, one of the organisation's founders, described the transition as an opportunity to begin afresh. Lockney added that Manchester's standing as a city internationally recognised for its advocacy of both LGBTQ+ rights and labour rights makes it a particularly fitting place for such a pioneering agreement to take shape.

European Editorial Office: John