Entertainment unions in Britain and France are joining forces in a campaign to protest conditions for creative workers in the film industry.
In a joint statement issued at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, the British union Bectu (Broadcast, Entertainment, Communications and Theater Union) and its sister French trade unions called for a work culture that, they say, has “normalized long working days” with “serious consequences for workers’ health, safety and general well-being.”
This statement is part of Bectu’s Broken Turnaround campaign, which aims to stamp out the practice of film and TV workers being routinely asked to ignore the minimum rest period they are entitled to between shifts. Workers have the legal right to refuse to take time off work, but unions say the practice is widespread and many workers feel pressured to work longer hours without proper rest breaks. “Unrealistic production schedules place extreme pressure on workers,” unions say.
The campaign, linked to the French festival, includes a series of posters and social media images bearing the slogan “You can say no to long working hours.”
“It was a time to celebrate achievements in the film industry, but the truth is that these achievements are built on the hard work of thousands of workers who are often pushed to their limits by grueling production schedules,” Spencer MacDonald, secretary of the national Pictou organization, said in a statement. “If we want a sustainable film industry, with good jobs for workers at all levels and in all trades, we have to put an end to this dangerous practice.”
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