I know I've been harping on a lot about unionising recently but there's good reason: musicians, events workers, and so many from our performance and events industries are facing real hardship as a result of the mishandling of COVID by government. 1/6

In Belfast currently, artists are being asked to accept half their usual rates of pay by bar managers. If they don't choose a 50% pay cut, they are cut from a venue, and lose all earnings. If that were the bar staff, we'd be rightly furious! And this is just one example. 2/6

Women, men, and nb folx who perform have made livelihoods out of their skills and talents, yet that's all slipping away. The events workers, sound techs, photographers, journalists, and so many others who contribute to this industry are also struggling to make ends meet. 3/6

We are workers - we labour to create, & we all consume the product of artists' labour. Bars, venues, promoters, management, & labels scoop out huge sections of artists' revenue. The government bailed them out, but not us. As individuals, we are powerless to change that but... 4/6

right now, conversations are taking place inside the IWW to set up a union for performers & events workers in Ireland. It will put the interests of working musicians, artists, actors, writers, photographers, & every other entertainment worker first (unlike some *cough* theMU) 5/6

But that can only happen if entertainment workers actively unionise and participate! To roughly paraphrase: Musicians, Artists, Photographers, Journalists, Actors, Poets, A/V techs, Bar Staff, and every other entertainment worker – unite! 6/6 https://iww.org.uk/join/