LTECH Committee

The Branch Chair presides at all branch conferences or committee meetings and is responsible for:

• the proper conduct of the meeting

• ensuring that business is kept moving

• clarifying the issues under discussion

• ensuring that clear decisions are reached and recorded.

The Chair is usually an experienced rep with a wider representational role in negotiations or consultation, and has a wide overview of Branch business

The Vice-Chair aids the Chair to carry out their duties. 

Should the Chair not be available to conduct the role in meetings etc, the Vice Chair will temporarily step up to act as Chair in their absence.

This a key role in our branch and needed under union rules.

The secretary’s duties are:

• calling branch committee meetings, branch conferences or annual general meetings and making all associated practical arrangements - the LTECH Branch meets 3 times a year

• preparing and circulating agendas, minutes and action lists

• during meetings, assisting the president/chair by presenting information and introducing items for which they are responsible

• maintaining branch records

• being the conduit between the branch committee and Bectu headquarters or body with which the branch is associated with.

Some branches have an assistant secretary or minutes secretary to help with administration. In most branches, the secretary is an experienced rep with a wider representational role in negotiations or consultation.

secretary.bectusparks@gmail.com

The Vice-Secretary aids the Secretary to carry out their duties. 

Duties include:

• maintaining Branch membership records

• liaising with Bectu headquarters on recruiting eligible people into membership

• organising recruitment in the branch and reporting regularly to the branch committee on this

• welcoming new joiners to the branch offering in insight into branch activity, highlighting the Sparks branch website, and ensuring they have contact details of the Branch Mobile, and email address(es). 

• Aiding members with membership queries

membership.bectusparks@gmail.com

Employers are required to create a culture of cooperation on health and safety, engaging with crew to ensure they go home safe and well from their work.

The H&S Chair oversees the work done by the committee, who were instrumental in creating content for the BFC Guidance, as well as producing the Lighting Departments new working practices guide, which together were part of a bigger imitative to get the Film & Television industry back up and running following the Covid 19 Pandemic

Further Reading - Newsletters

The Branch Training Officer/ Union Learning Rep, is responsible for the Sub Committee who researches and discusses potential training options for the betterment of the Lighting Department

Union learning reps have specific legal rights and powers. Their duties include:

• promoting training and development in the workplace by providing advice and information on learning initiatives

• supporting members who want to review and broaden their portfolio of skills

• helping to identify sources of training or learning provision.

Further Reading - Train & Learn 

The London Production Divisional Committee consists of representatives elected from all LPD branches on a proportional basis and is involved in organising and supporting a range of events and discussing wider union policy and collective campaigns.

LPD rules states that for every 500 members, branches are entitled to send 1 rep to LPD Committee Meetings. 

We currently have 2 Elected LPD officials, plus the Chair, Secretary and 1 substitute authorised to attend LPD meetings.

The LTECH Branch reps attend these meetings, usually 4 times a year, to give reports on our branch activity to LPD and to learn what other branches grievances are and the actions that are being undertaken, with notes of interest being reported bach to our branch.

see What is LPD?

The Branch operates a Mobile phone, with an online SMS service, plus email addresses, in order for members to get advice and notifications.

Should a member wish to find out about a specific issue, or needs advice about reading an agreement or other industrial matter, the First Point of contact is the Branch Mobile, AkA "The BatPhone" or via Email. This person, or group of people are not expected to answer queries there and then, but can pass the query onto one of our committee leads, other representative or paid BECTU Official who will have relevant expertise to pick up that query.

In the lead up to the reforms, in April 2021, BECTU head office held a series of meetings and seminars for branches to discus multiple issues  surrounding IR35. As a department with many members who operate under a  Ltd co / loan out contract, a representative was sought to oversee all aspects of IR35 and be the link between the Branch and BECTU research, responsible for tackling HMRC. 

Since April, there have been just a handful of queries, which have been dealt with swiftly.

More info on our Tax/IR35 Page

One of our long serving committee members is also a long standing member of the committee that looks after the development and maintenance of BS7909 at BSi. As such, they are also BECTUs representative at BSi, serves on BECTUs National Health & Safety Committee, and reports back to our Branch H&S Reps

More info on our BS7909 Page

Researches, publishes and maintains the sparksbranch website

If you find any errors, or wish to have something published to the site, contact :

website.sparksbranch@gmail.com

Meetings for each Sub-committee will be held throughout the year as required and Chaired by the appropriate Sub-Committee Lead.

The frequency of these meetings are determined by the individual Committee.

The Elected Officers of the Committee meet regularly to share information and to discuss the running and promotion of the Branch. 

As per the By-Laws, an Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be called once a year, where all members are invited to elect the Officers of the Branch, Sub-Committee Leads and other Elected Roles, in addition to discussing the year just gone, and to plan for the upcoming year.

At least 2 other General Meetings will be called throughout the year, which will be open to all members.

Provisional dates for Branch wide GM & AGM, will be presented at the AGM, and confirmed closer to the date.