MU urging musicians not to work for free at Olympics
We’ve been investigating this situation since April and we have uncovered several instances of professional musicians being asked to work for no fee at the Olympics.
This is completely unacceptable and the MU is urging any musician who is approached to call their MU Regional Office and report it. We are chasing every single example with LOCOG, and we are also going public where appropriate. We are also in touch with the TUC, as LOCOG signed a Principles of Cooperation with them which specifically states that professional workers will be paid for their services and are distinct from the unpaid volunteer workforce.
Horace Trubridge, MU Assistant General Secretary says:
“LOCOG have repeatedly told us that all professional musicians will be paid, and yet we’ve seen example after example of them breaking their word. If they want musicians to entertain thousands of people then they should pay for it. It is difficult enough to earn a decent living as a professional musician these days – where does this idea come from that musicians should be happy to work for free? Who else would be?”
“We need as many musicians as possible to come forward about this so that we can put as much pressure on LOCOG as possible. We will also be bringing it to the attention of the general public so that they can decide whether they think it’s fair that musicians are not being paid whilst most of the other professionals involved are.”
Posted: June 27, 2012
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