U.K. and French Unions Join Forces to Protest Long Hours in Entertainment Industry

British and French entertainment workers’ unions 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, Britain’s Bectu (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union) and its French sister trade unions called out a working culture that, they say has “normalised long working days” with “serious consequences for workers’ health, safety, and overall wellbeing.”

The statement is part of Bectu’s Broken Turnaround campaign, which aims to eliminate the practice of film and TV workers being routinely asked to ignore the minimum rest period they are entitled to between shifts. Workers are legally entitled to refuse to break turnaround but, the unions say, the practice is widespread and many workers feel pressured to work longer hours without appropriate mandated breaks. The “unrealistic timelines for productions,” say the unions “put intense pressure on workers.”

The campaign, tied to the French festival, includes a series of posters and social media images with the slogan “You Can(nes) say no to long hours.”

“Cannes is a time to celebrate achievements in the film industry, but the reality is that these achievements are built on the hard work of thousands of workers who are often pushed to their limits by the gruelling schedules of productions,” Bectu National Secretary Spencer MacDonald said in a statement. “If we want a sustainable film industry, with good careers for workers at all levels and in all crafts, then we need to put an end to this dangerous practice.”