UK actors’ union Equity to appeal Spotlight court decision

UK actors’ union Equity is seeking to appeal a High Court judgement which dismissed the organisation’s legal case against casting directory Spotlight over its use of membership fees.

The decision was voted for unanimously by Equity Council and announced today (September 10) at the annual conference for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton. 

Paul W Fleming, Equity’s general secretary, said: “It’s no surprise that the law has landed on the side of big business in this decision, with no regard for the many low-earning Equity members seeking to get by in an industry where the odds are too often stacked against them. 

“Equally worrying are the sweeping implications for working people across the UK, who may now be left unprotected from upfront charges by similar platforms elsewhere in the growing gig economy.  It is for this reason that our Council – with the support of the TUC – has decided to seek an appeal of the judgment.” 

Equity was seeking to have Spotlight branded as an employment agency, but Judge Catherine Howells had ruled that the directory is “a marketing tool” and “a number of steps away from a service for the purpose of finding persons employment”.

The union also took issue with Spotlight’s fees which have increased considerably over the years and currently stand at £205.80 for an annual subscription for performers based in the UK and Ireland. Howells said she would have “very real difficulty, on the evidence, in concluding that the fees charged by the defendant were more than a reasonable estimate of costs”.

Matt Hood, Spotlight’s managing director, said that he was “pleased” with the ruling on September 3 but that the legal proceedings have been “an enormous waste of both organisations’ time” and a “publicity stunt” for the union.

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