weekly Homo Let some crew members talk about the steps they took against the public broadcaster in May 2023. According to prosecutors, the takeover includes… at home Violations of European regulations on outsourcing. “There was no real outsourcing,” says one crew member. “Partly because our attitudes, our workplaces and our working conditions have changed dramatically. Our contracts with VRT are suddenly pieces of paper, and it’s illegal. We’ve never had a real choice.”
It was announced last year that VRT would outsource soap production. Eyeworks was chosen as a partner and created a separate subsidiary – “Het Thuishuis” – to produce the series. Crew members have retained their seniority and net pay is about the same, according to the weekly, but the difference lies in some details.
For example, employees now have fewer overtime hours because travel time to external locations is no longer considered work time. Employees will also not receive high expense allowances, meaning some will earn up to €300 less net per month. This will be compensated with a bonus at the end of the year, but goals must be met, which in turn increases the workload. Another person also reported that the crew is no longer allowed to set their own vacation days, but this production fills them in for them.
‘Unsustainable privileges’
Answers Peter Bouckaert, CEO of Eyeworks Homo They have done everything they can to provide employees with the best care possible and the majority of them are satisfied. But “it is a shame that a limited number of people do not want to give up the outdated and unsustainable privileges of the past.” Homo It also allows a number of actors from the series to speak anonymously and announce their satisfaction with the acquisition. But according to the crew members, different rules apply to them because they are indispensable.
The case is scheduled to be heard before the Labor Court in June 2024. If the judge rules in favor of the crew members, all employees must in principle return to VRT. There is still a case against VRT regarding outsourcing at home: Media Park Development, which was considered for the takeover but was not selected, also believes “serious violations” were committed.
Transformation plan
VRT decided so at home Outsourcing has to do with savings. Until last year, the public broadcaster still produced soaps itself, but an outside production house could rely on subsidies through the tax shelter. As a public broadcaster, VRT has no right to do this. It is a trick that VTM soap family Previously applied.
Last year, VRT announced a turnaround plan in which the broadcaster announced that it wanted to reduce its workforce by about a tenth (around 200 employees) by 2025. Before that, the broadcaster had already fired 116 people, including famous faces such as Annick Roets and Sarti Vandendreich.
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