Reports of bullying and inappropriate conduct within film and television productions in Wales have come to the attention of a Senedd inquiry.
A witness stated that they had lost track of the numerous instances of verbal abuse they had witnessed on set. Additional individuals informed the culture committee about the presence of ‘toxic behavior’ in the industry.
The committee, which conducted an inquiry into the difficulties encountered by the creative industry workforce in Wales, received this testimony: “I have lost count the amount of times I have seen people being verbally abused on set.”
The individual providing this statement, who remained unnamed in the report, went on to say: “The egos of directors is a real thing and I have to be honest it does not make for a pleasant working environment – from other people I know, I would say it’s probably a common occurrence in the industry.”
Unnamed individuals who provided testimonies to the inquiry highlighted a lack of awareness on how to report inappropriate conduct and the absence of a structured human resources framework. They also portrayed a scenario where artistic directors wielded excessive authority, and freelancers struggled to address issues in a closely-knit industry.
In the inquiry’s findings, the trade union BECTU referred to a ‘culture of fear,’ which deterred victims of bullying and harassment from coming forward due to concerns about being labeled troublemakers.
The union noted that productions suffered from inadequately resourced human resources support, particularly in projects with short durations of around 10 months, leading to an inclination to avoid addressing issues in the hope that they would not resurface.
Committee Chair Delyth Jewell, representing Plaid Cymru, remarked on the seriousness of the issue.”unacceptable that workers should be subject to bullying behaviour at work, a place which should be a safe space for them”.
“We are determined to ensure that all those who participate and work within the creative industries in Wales can do so without fear of prejudice, bullying or discrimination,” she said.
The culture committee noted that broadcasters had claimed to have established procedures and guidelines to address inappropriate behavior.
In response, the Welsh government stated, “We’ll consider the report and provide a response to the committee”.
