Jargon Buster
- ABS
- Association of Broadcasting Staff, the organisation which represented BBC staff prior to its merger with NATTKE to form BETA.
- ABTT
- Association of British Theatre Technicians
- ACE
- Arts Council of England.
- ACTT
- Association of Cinema and Television Technicians, which merged with BETA in 1990 to form BECTU.
- A & E
- Arts and Entertainment Division
- ATG
- Ambassadors Theatre Group
- BBC
- British Broadcasting Corporation
- BECTU
- The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (from 1 January 2017).
- BETA
- Broadcasting and Entertainment Trades Alliance, which merged with the ACTT in 1990 to form BECTU.
- BFI
- British Film Institute
- BIS
- Department for Business Innovation and Skills (government department responsible for driving the economy forward by promoting business, enterprise and education).
- BME
- Black and minority ethnic
- BMSC
- The group which promotes the interests of BME members inside the union and which devised the Move on Up diversity programme.
- BNP
- British National Party
- BSC
- British Society of Cinematographers
- BWTUC
- Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council.
- CEA
- Cinema Exhibitors Association
- collective bargaining
- The process by which the union negotiates on issues affecting groups of members; for collective bargaining rights to exist the union needs to be recognised by the employer to carry out this function.
- CPD
- CPD stands for Continuous Professional Development. This is the term used to describe ongoing job and career-related training during the course of your professional life. It can also describe wider forms of learning not associated with a job but which will boost career development of some kind.
Unions tend to define CPD more widely than employers. - Crewbus
- Directory of freelance members of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union
- CSG
- Culture Sport Glasgow operates more than 70 venues on behalf of Glasgow City Council.
- DAS
- Deductions at Source - method by which union members pay their subscriptions through the payroll. BECTU has such arrangements in place with many employers.
- DCMS
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- DFG
- Documentary Filmmakers Group
- ENO
- The English National Opera.
- ERS
- Electoral Reform Services, independent scrutineers for statutory ballots or ballots conducted in accordance with union rules.
- FAA
- Film Artistes Association, a sub-division of BECTU which looks after the interests of background artistes.
- FEU
- The Federation of Entertainment Unions, an umbrella grouping of the seven trade unions operating in the cultural sectors.
- FSF
- Film Skills Fund, the industry group administered by Skillset, to disburse funds for training.
- FT2
- Film and Television Training, the much respected training organisation which provides structured, craft specific and long-form training for new entrants.
- FTC
- A fixed term contract is a short-term employee engagement.
- GBCT
- Guild of British Camera Technicians
- GBFTE
- Guild of British Film and Television Editors
- GFTU
- General Federation of Trade Unions, a national organisation, focussed on reps training, to which BECTU is affiliated.
- HMRC
- Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
- IB
- Independent Broadcasting
- IFNC
- Independently Financed News Consortia, a framework being developed by industry regulator, OFCOM, and the government to sustain commercial news production in the UK's nations and regions.
- IP
- Intellectual property
- JCI
- Johnson Controls International, facilities management contractor responsible for the operation of BBC buildings in London and Scotland.
- JIGS
- Joint Industry Grading Scheme, responsible for the grading of special effects technicians, stunt performers and co-ordinators and riggers and scaffolders.
- Learning Outcomes
- These are what you should learn by the end of a course or workshop. They should be listed as part of the course description so you can be clear about whether the course is t=right for you.
- Lorimer letter
- Schedule D status granted to specific individuals who would otherwise be treated as employees. As a result they are entitled to be paid gross.
- LPD
- London Production Division
- NATTKE
- The National Association of Theatrical Television and Kine Employees merged with the ABS to form BETA. NATTKE traces its history back to 1890.
- NCA
- National Campaign for the Arts
- NEC
- National Executive Committee
- NFTS
- National Film and Television School
- NT
- The Royal National Theatre.
- OFT
- Office of Fair Trading
- PAYE
- Pay As You Earn - established system for the payment of tax through an employer's payroll.
- PRP
- Performance related pay
- RIG
- The Radio Independents Group, an alliance of independent producers serving the radio sector.
- ROH
- The Royal Opera House, home to the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet companies.
- RPD
- Regional Production Division
- RSC
- The Royal Shakespeare Company.
- SEC
- Sector Executive Committee (replaces NEC as a result of BECTU's merger with Prospect).
- SFS
- Special Fixed Salary, a buy-out contract, used by the BBC.
- SOC
- Standing Orders Committee
- SOLT
- Society of London Theatre, the employer's association for commercial theatres in London.
- STV
- Scottish Television, operator of two television licences in Scotland.
- TMA
- Theatrical Management Association, the employer's association for middle and large-scale theatre venues across the UK.
- TOIL
- Acronym standing for time off in lieu (in lieu means in place of) Typically, TOIL is used to grant additional time off in place of payment for additional hours worked.
- TVFF
- Television Freelance Fund, the industry group administered by Skillset, to disburse funds for training.
- UKFC
- UK Film Council
- UNI-MEI
- The Media Entertainment and Arts section of the global union UNI. Works with over 140 unions and guilds and 250,000 workers worldwide. BECTU is affiliated.
- Unionlearn
- 'Unionlearn' is the learning section of the TUC and covers vocational training, adult learning and union reps education
- Vocational training
- The term 'vocational training' describes work-related education and training (as opposed to academic learning or personal interest learning)
- VT Group
- Previously Vosper Thornycroft, and with roots in shipping, the company diversified into broadcast services with the creation of Merlin Communications whose business grew in the 1990s from the contract to transmit BBC World Service output.
- WPDs
- The Writers Producers and Directors branch of BECTU
- WTR
- Working Time Regulations, first passed in 1998 following a European Community Directive.